


Discovering Aincraid

by charminghex99



Category: Sword Art Online
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-08
Updated: 2016-01-16
Packaged: 2018-04-03 10:19:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 36,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4097260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charminghex99/pseuds/charminghex99
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I have seen this in other fandoms, but never one for Sword Art Online. Kirito and other characters are drawn into a dark abyss by a mysterious "friend". Together they must watch his journey through Sword Art Online. Unfortunately, they have to watch it with the man who trapped them in the first place.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Kidnapping

**Author's Note:**

> Trying something new. I have a plan for this, but reviews will definitely help motivate the next chapter.

Kirigaya Kazuto sighed tiredly as he entered his home. Lis-no Shinozaki had been teasing him relentlessly about his last date with Asuna. She might be a friend, a party member, and still the best blacksmith he knew, but it was none of her business about what he and his girlfriend…Kazuto made himself stop thinking about that immediately. They still hadn’t decided what to call themselves. Friends? Formerly married? It was hard defining a relationship that started in a virtual world.

Kazuto sighed again, toeing off his shoes. He needed to stop thinking about this. Who cares what the relationship was called, as long Asuna stuck around to be in it. “I’m home!” He called out to his family.

Kirigaya Suguha (Sugu) popped her head around the doorway to the living room. “Welcome big brother. I was just about to start dinner. What do you feel like tonight?” She asked with a kitchen knife in hand.

“Anything is fine.” The tired student told his sister, shrugging off his student jacket.

Sugu waved her knife threateningly. “Big brother that is so not helpful. At your age …” Sugu’s scolding was cut off when the room was plunged into darkness. The siblings blinked in confusion as they realized they were no longer in their home. A strange light filtered in from above, but outside of that light they were surrounded by pure darkness. It was if their small pocket of light was smack dab in the middle of a black hole. 

“Kirito-kun!!!” A familiar voice called out from the darkness.  
Kazuto knew that voice. “Asuna?” Out of the darkness a beautiful chestnut haired girl ran into Kazuto’s arms. He instinctively curled his arms around the young woman. She hugged him back tightly. “What are you doing here?” He asked her, noticing she was still in her uniform too.

Asuna looked up into his eyes. Already he could see her tremendous courage building back up. The trembling stopped, and soon she was in control of herself once more. “I’m sorry Kirigaya-kun,” She shook her head, like she was shaking off cobwebs. “I don’t know what is going on. I was walking home one minute, and then the next I was swallowed up by this inky darkness. We aren’t in virtual reality are we?”

Kazuto shook his head. He was pretty sure this wasn’t a virtual world, unless someone had slipped an amusphere on all of them. He didn’t know where they were, but he needed to make sure the two girls he cared about most made it back home. “I don’t know where we are, but we’re going to figure this out together.”

“Helloooo? Anybody else here?” Another voice called from the darkness. The trio looked at each other, and decided to move toward the disembodied voice. As they got closer, they could make out a tall man with red spiky hair.

Suguha stopped and tilted her head. “Is that you Klein-san?”

“Leafa-chan!” The boisterous man ran toward Suguha, his arms held open for a hug. Kazuto frowned, and stepped in front of Suguha. His eyes threatening his friend if he moved one step closer, there would be consequences. Tsuboi Ryoutarou stopped, and scratched his cheeks embarrassedly. “I mean it is nice to see you again Kirigaya-chan, and of course you too Kirigaya-kun and Yukki-chan. I guess I just got excited to see more people I knew in this creepy place.”

“Who is else is here?” Asuna asked Tsuboi-san.

“I think it may be easier to just show you.” He waved the trio over a little further, where they could see more people standing around a half round table that appeared out of nowhere. Kazuto recognized Asada Shino from her profile, but he couldn’t place the man she was talking to. Klein called to the engrossed pair. 

Asada-san waved at the members of her party. “Yo.” The rest of the group waved back enthusiastically.

When the man turned toward him, Kazuto stopped in his tracks. It was the face of a man he would rather forget, him and his cactus hair. 

Asuna hissed, “Kibaou”.

The man grimaced. “Asuna the crimson”, he nodded respectfully. He turned toward Kazuto, sneered, and said “Beater-kun”. 

Tsuboi-san put a comforting hand on Kazuto’s shoulder. “I think you mean hero-kun. After all, he did clear the game.” If noticed the deepening frown on Kazuto’s face, he ignored it.

“Indeed he did.” Another voice called out. Tsuboi, Asada, and Kibaou started in surprise. Clearly they didn’t realize this person had arrived either. The mysterious voice slowly emerged from the darkness. At first all they could see was the light bouncing off a white lab coat, it wasn’t until he was within several feet of the rest of the group that they could see his face.

It was Kayaba Akihito.  
“B-b-but you died…” Kibaou stammered. “After the end of SAO you died.”

“In a way, I did.” Kayaba told them while smirking. “Or at least my body did, but you knew that didn’t you Kirito-kun?” Most of the heads turned toward Kazuto.

Kazuto stepped up to face Kayaba. “So, you did escape into the internet.” He told the former guild master.

“Thanks to you and the SEED. I wasn’t sure if you would utilize it, or if your hatred would lead to its destruction. I decided to take a gamble.”

Kazuto looked Kayaba in the eye, ready to challenge him again if need be. “Did you do this? Did you bring us here?”

Kayaba grimaced, but remained silent. That told him that this wasn’t Kayaba’s doing, and that he wasn’t happy not being in control of the situation. The man held out a piece of paper to Kazuto. The dual-wielder read it to himself, his brows knit in frustration.

Asada-san recognized Kayaba. It was hard to forget a man who took 10,000 people hostage, and trapped them in a death game. She could see how his presence was affecting his victims. She wanted to end the confrontation before the tension in the room exploded. She tugged on Kirigaya-kun’s arm. “What does it say?”

Kazuto read the letter aloud:  
To all of those assembled here:  
I have brought all of you here out of time, space, and out of other realities to show another side to SAO Event. Among one you is a hero, one that has faced many trials involving different realities. You are here to watch his journey, to better understand his struggles. In the near future a new incident will threaten our young hero. You need to recognize the strengths that allowed him to thrive in a foreign world, so that he will be prepared when the next threat arises. Who knows, it might inspire all of you to grow stronger as well. Watch, listen, discuss, and learn from all of virtual reality has shaped one remarkable young man.  
It may be your salvation,  
A Friend  
P.S. You all must be in attendance before the presentation will begin

“So this random person kidnapped us, to watch a presentation?” Suguha asked confusedly. “What’s wrong with a DVD?”

Kazuto smirked. “Don’t worry Sugu, after a while you get used to strangers kidnapping you for ambiguous reasons.”

Asada elbowed Kazuto in the gut. “Not funny. Not funny at all.”

Asuna moved up to Kazuto, and took his hand. “The note makes it seem like somebody might be coming after you. They claim you’re in danger.” She looked up at him, her eyes pleading. “If this presentation thing might help you, we need to watch it.”

“Then I believe that we might want to move towards the table.” Kayaba pointed to half round table coming up from the shadows. Distracted by the people, Kazuto hadn’t noticed the seven chairs surrounding it. “When we are all seated I believe this farce might get started at last.”

“Control freak”, Kazuto muttered. 

Kibaou moved in front of Kayaba, and decked him. The scientist fell to the floor on his butt. The cactus head leaned down and sneered at the man in the lab coat. “Why should I watch anything with a low down criminal?”

Kayaba wiped the blood off his chin. “Maybe because if we do not do as the note instructs, we may never leave here. You may not have noticed, but there are no doors, windows, nor virtual screens to use to get of here. We’re trapped.” With that he got up, not even looking at the irate Kibaou. However, Tsuboi-san stepped in his way.

He held out his hands in an effort to stave off more violence. “Now hold on there. We might have to follow the advice of this mysterious friend, but there are a lot of intense feelings in this room. It might better to keep the more volatile parties separated. Kayaba-san you take the seat farthest to the left. Kibaou you should sit directly opposite, that way you’ll be the farthest from each other. As for the others…” The spiky man grinned. “Let’s have the main character in the middle. That way we can all share him.”

Kazuto only rolled his eyes in exasperation. 

Suguha piped up. “I want to sit next to big brother.” Realizing how brazen she sounded, she blushed. “Please.”

“That’s not a bad idea.” Asuna told the group. “It might be better to keep people that are less likely to kill an evil kidnapper one side.” She glared at Kayaba, who only raised one eyebrow. 

“I don’t mind sitting next to him.” Asada-san volunteered. She was probably the only in the room that held more curiosity than contempt for the man.

Tsuboi-san grinned at the girl. “Okay, so it’s Kayaba, Asada-chan, Kirigaya-chan, and Kirigaya-kun in the middle. I assume Yukki-chan…”

“Will be sitting next to Kirigaya-kun. Yes?” Asuna glared at her party member.

“Right. Following Yukki-chan it should be me, and finally Kibaou. Does that satisfy everybody?”  
Kazuto smirked. “Do I get any say in this?”

Suguha grabbed her brother and dragged him to his seat. “Nope.” She told him as she pushed him down. As soon as everyone was seated, a screen popped into existence. Color and sound filled the screen, and the words SWORD ART ONLINE appeared.  
*********************************************************************************************************************************  
Let the show begin. So how is it so far?


	2. The World of Swords

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Hope not all of the chapters that take this long.

SAO Episode 1: The World of Swords

Episode Guide:

**Bold=In Episode Dialogue**

**_‘Bold Italics’=In Episode Character Thoughts_ **

_Itatlics=In Episode Description/Action_

Normal Script=Outside Of The Episode Talking And Action

The seven trapped people settled down at the half circle table, trying to get comfortable. As soon as they all sat down a screen popped into existence. The words SWORD ART ONLINE appeared, and soon after images and sound began to be projected.

_A black screen is the first thing to appear. A chime-like sound and the word Argus Presents appears. The picture changes. Music to inspire awe begins to play. The camera moves through cloud cover. Another black screen appears, this time with another message: In 2022, mankind finally… Another capture of a mist covered forest appears.  A third black screen message is shown: Built a full virtual environment... The camera moves again, this time tearing through rich green grass. A cliff appears, with a black armored man astride his steed. The camera moves up to show a floating citadel high upon the air currents._

 

Klein sighed heavily. “I remember that promotion. It was the reason I knew I had to get a copy of that game. I mean I had heard about the beta tests, but that ad is what really sold it. I remember convincing the members of a guild I had been a part of to join me. We waited hours to get ahold of one of the 1st copies. We were so happy that we got them before they sold out. Now…” The usually happy-go-lucky swordsman never finished that sentence.

Most of the members involved with the SAO incident understood, but Asada and Suguha only looked confused. Suguha sighed when the episode continued. She felt kinda bad. They may have been kidnapped, warned of some future incident about her brother, but she was kind of looking forward to the show. She had always wanted to understand what her brother had gone through the 2 years he was trapped. Sure Alfheim had given her some clues, but here was her chance to really understand how SAO had affected her brother and his friends.

**Unknown Reporter: Hi there! Time for this week's MMO Stream. You just saw a promo of today's featured game. And this is what last week's launch day looked like. Can you guess what everyone's waiting in line for? Sword Art Online!**

_An online newscast began to play after the ad. The reporter showing images of the players who managed to get one of the 10,000 copies._

**Unknown Reporter: The one at the front of the line waited for three days prior to the launch. Or is this just what any real gamer would do?**

_The camera moves off the computer to a magazine. The article’ headline reads ‘Sword Art Online Development Director Akihiko Kayaba’. The article features a picture of the man standing at his desk, wearing his trademark lab coat._

Kayaba looks at Kirigaya-kun. “You seem to have researched the game pretty heavily, despite being one of the leading beta testers.” If Kayaba notices the stiffening posture of Kibaou, he doesn’t comment. **  
  
**

Kazuto shrugs. “The game was a challenge during the beta test. I would have been an idiot not to do some research into how the game would change during the real thing. Plus…” He hesitates, but his natural honesty wins out. “I was fascinated in the mechanics of the game. Not just the game play itself, but how it was made.” Not many people knew that to this day, Kazuto was looking to invent things to bring the real world and virtual world closer together. Asuna smiled, and took ahold of his hand. She knew why Kazuto had begun to invent things like the camera she carried on her should for weeks, but it wasn’t her place to say.

**Unknown reporter: On today’s MMO Stream, we’ll be covering, the internationally famous Sword Art Online, AKA SAO!**

_The camera moves onto a young man sitting in a chair in front of his computer. He is wearing dark clothes, with headphones plugged in, and gamer magazine in hand. As he flips through the magazine he cuts himself on the paper’s edge._

**Unknown Reporter: To be honest, none of the NerveGear software released so far, has really taken advantage of the hardware. Yeah, they were crappy games, huh?  
  
**

_A steady stream of blood flows from the cut on his thumb. The unknown boy looks at it, but is distracted by a voice beyond the door to his room._

**Suguha: Hey, I'm off to practice now. See you later, okay?**

_A far off screen view of a fairly big house appears on screen. A young girl is running out of the house. She is wearing a uniform, and carrying a large bag over her shoulders. The audience cannot make out her face, but just her general outline._

Suguha sits straight up in her seat. “Hey that’s me!” Everyone in the group turns to look at her. “No, seriously that’s me. I remember that those were the last words I said, before…you were gone.” Suguha doesn’t look at her brother. Her face is too hot to look at him now.

Kazuto doesn’t comment. He has a bad feeling about these episodes. A REALLY bad feeling.

**Unknown Reporter: But SAO was made by the NerveGear inventor, Akihiko Kayaba and it’s a long-awaited VR MMORPG. I can’t wait! The beta testers all said it was incredible. I wish I could’ve gotten a copy too…Only 10.000 copies were sold in its first printing. It sold out online in seconds. And as you saw, hard-core fans bought all the store copies.**

Asada-chan turns to Yukki-chan. “You don’t seem like much of a gamer. Why did you try and get one of the first copies, instead of waiting for the reprints?”

Asuna-chan smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “The game wasn’t mine. My older brother was the one excited about the game. However, he had to leave for a business trip.” She closed her eyes, and leaned back into her chair. “I never even asked him if I could borrow it. I was just curious. I was going to give it back, but…” No one knew what to say to comfort the girl.

Kayaba frowned. He never would have guessed that one of the most powerful players, hadn’t any real experience. In fact she was only there by bad luck. That didn’t fit in with what he expected. Then again, the whole point of his project was to have his expectations broken, to be surpassed. He wondered if any of others would pick up on that as the projections progressed.

_The scene changes to the boy alone in his room. The audience cannot see his face, just that he is an adolescent with short black hair. After turning off the online news cast, he starts setting up electronics. He puts on a bulky helmet that covers his head completely. Electricity begins to stream into the helmet, causing it to power up. The boy leans back into his bed, ready to leave his body behind, and enter into a virtual world._

**Kirito: Link start!**

_Colors and sound explode across the screen. A rainbow of colors draws the camera in until the whole screen is enveloped in white. Five circles indication checks in the integration of the system flash in the corner of the screen. A language selection appears next, and the language of Japanese is selected. A log in screen shows up next, with two blanks spaces under the headings account and password. The characters are disguised, but it is the next screen that draws the eye. A big blue box appears, indicating that the player logging on has perfected his profile. From this moment on the main character will be playing as a male character named Kirito._

**_WELCOME TO SWORD ART ONLINE!_ **

_After a flash of blue light, the audience can now see through the eyes of Kirito. He blinks several times, and glances down to his virtual hands. His virtual hands shows no sign of the earlier paper cut. Kirito clenches his hand. The camera pans out to reveal the face of tall and handsome young man. A far off projection from the image of a boy the audience saw earlier._

**Kirito: I'm back in this world!**

Tsuboi-san grins at Kirito. “That look doesn’t suit you man.”

“I thought it looked really cool.” Kirito huffs in annoyance.

“Because that is so important.” Asada deadpans, and the rest of the room laugh.

_Flashes of light surround the boy. With each new flash another player appears. The camera zooms out to show a huge city filled with the sounds of thousands cheering. The camera zooms out again to show a mammoth castle of steel floating in the air. This castle would be the stage of the deadliest game in human history._

_Another blue pixeled screen takes the place of the floating city of Aincraid. The screen proclaims the title of the episode: The World of Swords._

Suguha sighs. “It looks so innocent now. From just logging in, you would never expect for something so amazing to turn into something so terrifying.” She could totally understand why her brother had fallen in love with the game.

“Maybe it would’ve stayed that way if a certain bastard hadn’t interfered.” Kibaou growled. He stared intently at Kayaba. “Hey you! I’m talking to you! What gave you the right to turn us all into your little lab rats?” Kayaba just continued to ignore him. Kibaou started to get up, but Tsuboi-san interfered.

“Now, now. Nothing you can say will change the past, but the longer we delay watching this, the longer it will take to get out of this. So, sit down please.” The disgruntled man snorted through his nose, but obeyed.

_On screen the words Floor 1: Town of Beginnings appear. In the background there are players talking to NPCs (non-player characters) and each other. Everyone is trying to learn how the basics of the new virtual world. The camera moves to players discussing grievances, players recruiting other players, and boys trying to party up with girls. For example:_ **  
  
Girl in pink: Well, I don't know, maybe.  
  
Handsome Guy: Oh, come on! It'll be great!**

_Suddenly Kirito’s character runs across the screen. He’s hurrying past the other players, not stopping to gather potions, gather gear, or ask a NPC to explain the game. He’s ready to take on the world. A pink haired man with a red bandana notices the running boy. He decided to go after him._

**Klein: Huh? Hey, Bro! Wait up!**

“Thus the epic friendship of Kirito and Klein is born!” Tsuboi-san cheers. The girls giggle, Kibaou huffs, and Kayaba ignores him.  Kirigaya-kun just feels conflicted. **  
  
**

“Would you really call us friends even after all that happened?” The boy asks the older man. Tsuboi-san smiles and nods his head.

_The pink haired man runs after the blue haired boy, who slows down to acknowledge him. The pink hair man has to stop and catch his breath. Meanwhile Kirito tilts his head in curiosity, wondering what this stranger wants._ **  
  
Kirito: What's up?  
  
Klein: Whew... You act like you know your way around here. You were in the beta test, weren't you?  
  
  
**

**Kirito: Ah, yeah.  
  
Klein: Cool! Today is my first day, so could you give me some tips on the lower floors?  
  
Kirito: Yeah, I don't know if...  
  
Klein: Oh, please I'm begging you! Look, my name's Klein. Good to meet you.  
  
**

_The blue haired young man shakes off his confusion, and poses with one hand on his hip._ **  
  
**

**Kirito: All right. I'm Kirito.**

“You know I’ve always wondered why everyone in these games drops the honorifics. While playing nobody uses chan, san, dono, or any of the ways we show respect to each other. Why is that?” Suguha asks the room full of expert players.

Kirito smiles at his little sister. “Most players want to play as someone else in virtual reality. They make a new look, a new personality, and play as a completely different person. It’s kind of like being reborn.”

“Most players use jumbled version of their real name. Mix up the letters and use that to name their player.” Asada-chan explained to Suguha. “Sometimes players want to make sure to protect their privacy as well.

“Like I’d want any of you to know my real name.” Kibaou sneers.

Yukki-chan looks down at her school shoes. “I was probably the only person in the entirety of SAO to use their real name.” Kazuto smiles and bumps Asuna’s shoulder to knock her out of her funk.

“Despite the rudeness,” Suguha glares at the offending Kibaou, “that’s a valid point. Since we’re all here because of the virtual world, and not everyone will offer up their real names. Why don’t we stick to our online avatars and drop the honorifics? I’m Leafa-chan.”

Kayaba quietly offered his name. “You may call me either Kayaba or Heathcliff. They’re both me.”

Tsuboi-san grins at everyone. “The grumpy guy is Kibaou. I’m the great Klein.”

Kazuto snorts. “Yeah, great at falling on your ass.” He then gets serious. “I’m the swordsman Kirito.”

Asuna squeezes her boy’s hand. “My name in game or real life is Asuna. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”

Asada smiles. “Many of you may not know me. I never played SAO. Instead I became Sinon the best sniper in Gun Gale Online. It is an honor to be here.”

It may have been a late introduction, but everyone felt a little more connected now. Maybe that was the point in all of this: to bring everyone together to discover the truth.   


_The scene changes to Klein flying back from the screen. He has just failed to attack a beginner monster._ **  
  
**

**Klein: Argh! Oooh...hit to the nuts... kill me now...  
  
**

_Kirito stands back to watch Klein, with both hands on his hips. He is less than impressed._ **  
  
**

**Kirito: Oh, come on, seriously? You can't feel any pain.  
  
Klein: Huh? Oh yeah, you're right. Sorry, habit.  
  
Kirito: Remember what I said? The first move is the most important.**

**  
Klein: Yeah, that's easy for you to say. But he won't stand still!**

_Kirito picks up a rock. He moves his arm back to throw, but pauses as he explains to Klein._ **  
  
Kirito: If you do your initial motion right, and activate a sword skill at the right time... the system pretty much guarantees you'll always hit your target.**

_The rock glows, and Kirito completes the throwing motion. The rock explodes from his hand like a glowing bullet, striking the pig monster Klein has been working on killing. The angry pig turns toward Kirito with an enraged squeal._ **  
  
Klein: Initial motion?**

_The affronted pig paws the ground, ready to charge. Kirito nonchalantly holds his sword at the ready, never stopping his explanation. He evades the rampaging pig. The pig charges again, but this time Kirito holds its tusk off with his short sword._ **  
  
Kirito: Here's an easier way to look at it. Right after you start your move, wait for a little bit.  
When you feel the skill start to activate, drive it home!**

_With that last bit of advice he knocks the pig off himself, and with a kick sends off towards Klein._ **  
  
Klein: Drive it home?**

_Something about that statement seems to click with the newbie swordsman. Klein spreads out his feet, and raises his short sword to his shoulder. He pauses for a second, and his sword begins to glow a bright golden color **.**_

**Klein: Hoho! Yeah!**

_With a yell Klein moves forward, and the system helps him execute a devastating attack against the rampaging pig. As the two swordsmen watch the pig’s health bar drops to zero, and the pig explodes into green pixels. Klein screams out in excitement of his first kill._

Klein turns to the real Kirito. “It was so much fun that first day. I don’t know how long it would have taken to learn the basics if you hadn’t stopped when I called.” Kirito just smiled.

Kayaba studies Klein for a moment. “Why did single out Kirito, and not some other player? How did you even know he wasn’t a NPC?”

Klein shrugs, and scratches his cheek. “I don’t know. I guess it was the way he was running, like he already knew the basics and was ready to really dig into the game. I knew there were beta testers, and I just figured an already experienced player would be a great teacher.”

“That was an astute observation Klein.” Kayaba complimented the red-headed swordsman. He found it fascinating how two of the strongest players had found each other on the first day. He had assumed it had to do with associating with the Kirito, but perhaps Klein had more skills than he thought.

Kirito glares pointedly at Kayaba. “Klein was the leader of one of the strongest guilds in SAO. While smaller than Knights, they were fighting in boss raids almost longer than any other guild.”

Kayaba got the subtext though: don’t underestimate his friend just because of his friendly attitude. It was interesting how protective the black swordsman could be. Was that why the teen was able to beat himself in the end? **  
  
Kirito: Congratulations. That was nice. But that boar's about as weak as slimes in other games are.  
  
Klein: Holy crap! You got to be kidding. I thought that thing was a mid-level boss.  
  
Kirito: Yeah, as if.**

_Now that Klein knows the correct movements, he begins practicing the initial sequences to use Sword Art Online’s skills. His breaks out into a smile each time his sword starts to glow._ **  
  
Klein: Whoa!  
  
Kirito: Addictive, isn't it?  
  
Klein: I'll say. So, these skills... There's a ton of them like blacksmithing and stuff, right?  
  
Kirito: Uh-huh. I heard the game has an unlimited number of them. On the other hand, there’s no magic.  
  
Klein: An RPG without magic? That's a bold decision, man!  
  
Kirito: So, what do you think? It's kind of fun to move your body as you fight, isn't it?  
  
Klein: Oh, hells yeah!  
  
Kirito: You ready to move on?  
  
Klein: Yeah, man. Let's keep going.**

_The sun has set by the time the next scene begins. Klein lies exhausted in the grass of the plains he and Kirito have been grinding in. Kirito stands admiring the incredible view. A tall waterfall drops into a beautiful lake, creating a miniature rainbow for the players to enjoy.  The rest of the floor the players are on stretches on for miles. It has a beauty that cannot be found in reality._ **  
  
Klein: When I look around, I can't believe it. We're inside a game, bro. Whoever made this is a genius.  
This thing's amazing. Makes me glad I was born when I was, you know.  
  
Kirito: You make a big deal out of everything.**

Leafa turns to her brother and teases him. “Still trying to play it cool with your new friend huh?” Kirito blushes, and most of the captive audience laugh good naturedly at the teen. **  
  
Klein: Cut me some slack, it's my first full dive!  
  
Kirito: You've never used the NerveGear before today, huh? This is your first time ever?  
  
Klein: Uh-huh. As soon as I got the money together, I rushed out and bought all the hardware to play SAO. Stood in line and scored one of the ten thousand hard copies. Guess you could say I was pretty lucky. Although, you sir, were ten times as lucky getting to beta-test it.  
  
Kirito: Huh?  
  
Klein: Dude, only a thousand people got the chance!  
  
Kirito: Yeah, I guess I was lucky.  
  
Klein: Hey, mind if I ask how far you got in the beta?**

The rest of the audience leaned in. Kayaba was especially interested in how much Kirito’s previous experience helped turned him into the strongest solo player in the game. **  
  
Kirito: Two months and I couldn't get further than floor eight. But now, I think I can get there within a month, easy.**

**_ (Side note in SAO Progressive he was the only one to get to floor 10.) _ ** **  
  
Klein: Sounds to me like you're really into this!  
  
Kirito: Yeah, you could say that. During the beta test, SAO was the only thing on my mind, day and night. In this world, a single blade can take you anywhere you want to go. And even though it's a virtual world, I feel more alive in here than I ever did in the real one.  
  
**

As Kirito watched himself on screen, he couldn’t help but feel nostalgic. It took him a long time to just relax in a virtual world after Kayaba turned SAO into a death game. It took recreating Alfheim Online, and meeting up with friends to rekindle that lost excitement. He hoped he could hold unto that feeling after facing whatever threat their kidnappers foretold was ahead.

_Trying to lighten the mood, Kirito switched subjects to distract Klein from his embarrassing moment of sentimentality._

**Kirito: Anyway, you want to go do some more hunting?  
  
Klein: You know it! But the thing is... **

_Klein clutches his stomach as it growls at him._ **  
  
**

**Klein:I'm really hungry. I have to log out.  
  
Kirito: Too bad the food you eat here only satisfies your hunger virtually.  
  
Klein: Yeah, for reals! That's why I ordered a pizza for 5:30!  
  
Kirito: Wow, you're so prepared.  
  
Klein: You know it! Besides, the game can wait until I get my pizza on.  
  
Kirito: I guess...  
  
Klein: Hey, I was going to go meet up with some people I know from another game.  
I don't know what you're up to after this, so, if, uh, you know, if you want, you can friend them and hang with us.**

_Kirito hesitates, and glances away. He suddenly becomes very awkward and shy._ **  
  
**

**Klein: No, it's cool if you don't want to, no pressure. I can always introduce you to them another time or something.  
  
Kirito: Yeah, sorry. Thanks, anyway.  
  
Klein: No way! I should be doing all the thanking! Hey, one of these days, I promise I'll pay you back for all your help! Virtually, that is!  
  
Kirito: Yeah, right.**

_Klein held out his hand to Kirito._ **  
  
Klein: Thanks for everything, man, really.  
Guess I'll see you around, then.  
  
Kirito: If there's anything else you want to know, message me.  
  
Klein: Oh, sweet! I'll do that.**

_The red haired swordsman gave Kirito one final wave. He then turned to open up the main menu screen. He scrolled through various buttons, but couldn’t find the one he was looking for._

**Klein: Huh? Where'd the log out button go?  
  
Kirito: It should be there.  
  
Klein: Nope, it's not there.**

**Kirito: It should be at the bottom of the main menu. Huh?**

_Kirito pulled up his own screen to show Klein. However when he scrolled through the menu, he only found a blank space where the log out button should have been. A shiver of fear racked the swordsman._ _This never happened in the beta test._ **  
  
Klein: See, not there.  
  
Kirito: You're right, it's not.  
  
Klein: Oh well. Today's, what, the first day out of beta? Bound to be some bugs!  
I bet the server people are freaking out right now!  
  
Kirito: You will, too.  
  
Klein: Huh?  
  
Kirito: Look, its 5:25.  
  
** _Klein screamed in despair, clutching his head in the weirdest position Kirito had ever seen._

**Klein: Oh my god! My teriyaki mayo pizza and ginger ale!**

Asuna raised an eyebrow at Klein. “Really? You can’t get out and you’re worried about some weird pizza?”

“I don’t know.” Kirito mused aloud. “I could understand the groaning if it was like one of those sandwiches you made for us on floor 74.” Now it was Asuna’s turn to blush. **  
  
Kirito: Why don't you just contact the game master?  
  
Klein: Yeah, I did that, but nothing's happening! He's not picking up!  
Do you know if there's another way to log out of this thing?  
  
Kirito: No. Whenever a player wants to log out of SAO, the only way they can do it is by going through the menu.  
  
Klein: That can't be right! There's got to be some other way out.  
  
**

_Klein begins jumping around. He raises his hands in the air shouting different commands._

**Klein: Return! Log out! Escape!  
  
Kirito: Told you so. And there was no emergency log out in the manual, either.  
  
Klein: No way, you're kidding...I know, I'll just rip the NerveGear off my head!**

_The two swordsmen are so deep into their conversation that they don’t notice as the light of the sun fades away. Ominous shadows surround the talking duo._ **  
  
Kirito: Don't bother. Once you're hooked in, you can't move your body in the real world anymore.  
The NerveGear intercepts all the commands you give from inside the game, using an interface built into the rig.  
  
Klein: Seriously? So now we got to wait until someone gets around to fixing the bug?!  
  
Kirito: That, or until someone in the real world comes along and takes the NerveGear off us.  
That's it.  
  
Klein: I live alone. You?  
  
Kirito: I got a mom and a sister. And I'm pretty sure they'll notice by dinner time and come...**

_Suddenly Klein is in Kirito’s space. His face uncomfortably close to the other swordsman._ **  
  
Klein: Y-You got a sister? How old's she? What's she like?  
  
Kirito: Huh? She's into sports, and hates games. And she's totally not your type, man.  
She wouldn't date a gamer if he was the last type—**

Leafa snorts. “Shows what you know big brother.” The others in the room laugh. **  
  
Klein: Who cares?! I want to—**

_Kirito had been leaning away from the aggressive red head when he began the questions about his little sister. Finally, he had enough and kneed the invasive pervert. Klein goes flying, until he lands with a thud.  
  
_

**Klein: Oh, right. Getting kicks in the balls doesn't hurt.  
  
Kirito: Get serious. Don't you think this is weird?  
  
Klein: Yeah, totally. But it's just a bug.  
  
Kirito: This isn't just a bug.  
If we can't log out, it's going to cause some serious problems for the game.  
  
Klein: Yeah, I guess you're right.  
  
Kirito: I wonder if the developers even know what's happening, 'cause they could just shut down the server and log everyone out. But why haven't they made an announcement?  
  
Klein: Hmm...  
  
**

_Suddenly the large bell in the Town of Beginnings begins to toll. Blue light envelops the swordsmen, swallowing them up, and transporting them back to the center of town._

_Klein and Kirito reappear amongst thousands of other players back in the main square of the Town of Beginnings. The large bell continues to toll ominously. The players talk amongst themselves. Confusion and panic run rampant._ **  
  
**

**Pink Girl (for the moment): Do you know what's going on?  
  
Handsome Guy: Uh-uh.  
  
Kirito: Someone forced a teleport.  
  
Random Guy: What's going on here?  
  
Random Guy # 2: Look, up there!  
  
**

_The large bell in the center of town stops ringing. One of the players point to the sky, where a piece of the sky seems to be blinking red. The red blinking shape reads warning/System Announcement. Suddenly the red shape is multiplied several times over, quickly covering up the sky graphics with ominous red. Even creepier, blood begins to pool from the cracks of the red shapes. The blood drips toward the players until it congeals hundreds of feet above the square. The blood thickens into the shape of an empty priest’s outfit. The players can see right through to where hands, feet, or even a face should be, but therein lies only darkness.  
  
_

**Kirito: Now what?  
  
Klein: What the hell is that thing?  
  
Random Guy #3: Is that a game master?  
  
Random Guy #4: Why doesn't he have a face? Is this an event?  
  
Pink Girl: I'm scared.  
  
Handsome Guy: Don't worry. It's just part of the opening ceremony.  
  
Kayaba: Attention, players.I welcome you to my world.**

“His world. Pretentious prick.” Kibaou sneers, seemingly forgetting that the creator was able to hear him. **  
  
Kirito: His world?**

Kirito and Kibaou looked at each other in surprise. Who knew that those two could ever come to the same conclusion?

**Kayaba: My name is Akihiko Kayaba.  
And as of this moment, I am in control of this world.  
  
Random Girl (the first): Seriously?  
  
Random Guy (I lost count of the number): Wow, that's some entrance.  
  
Kayaba: I'm sure most of you have already noticed an item missing from your main menus -- the log out button. Let me assure you, this is not a defect in the game. I repeat, this is not a defect. This is how "Sword Art Online" was designed to be.**

_The empty specter pulls out a huge screen to highlight the missing log out button. Emphasizing that from now on, there was no escape._ **  
  
Klein: He's kidding, right?**

“No. He’s not. He never did, not even when he was playing as Heathcliff.” Asuna told the room bitterly. “He trapped us with no regard to how it would affect the rest of our lives.” She looked Kayaba straight in the eye. “He didn’t care, nor does he now.”

Kayaba didn’t disagree. **  
  
Kayaba: You cannot log yourselves out of SAO of your own will, and no one from the outside will be able to shut down or remove the NerveGear from your head. If anyone attempts to do so, a transmitter inside the NerveGear will discharge a microwave signal into your skull, destroying your brain and ending your life.**

**Random Girl (the second): What are you talking about?  
  
Random Guy (found it) # 6: Oh, come on! That's such BS!  _(Bull Shit)_ This game sucks!  
  
Handsome Guy: Let's get out of here.**

_The pink girl and handsome guy walk over to one of the side streets leading out the plaza. The handsome guy walks into an invisible barrier. He pounds on the barrier, but it does no good. Everyone is trapped._

**Handsome guy: Hey, I can't get out!  
  
Klein: Are you listening to this crap? He's got to be nuts, right? Right, Kirito?  
  
Kirito: He's not. The transmitter's signals in the headgear work just like microwaves.  
If the safety's disabled, it could fry your brain.  
  
Klein: Couldn't someone cut the power or...?  
  
Kirito: That won't work. The NerveGear's got an internal battery.**

Kayaba was impressed. “Not even some of my own staff understood the implications of the internal battery. If they had, there might have been more of a push to delay the release of the NerveGear until more safety checks were placed. It’s curious how you seem to understand my creation down to its very hardware.”

Kirito blushed. He might resent Kayaba for his lack of morals, but he still respected the man’s genius. **  
  
Klein: This is crazy! It's totally crazy!  
  
Kayaba: Despite my warning, the families and friends of some of the players have attempted removing the NerveGear, an unfortunate decision to say the least. As a result, the game now has two hundred thirteen less players than when it began. They've been deleted from both Aincrad and the real world.  
  
Kirito: Two hundred thirteen?  
  
Klein: No way... I don't believe it!**

_The giant figure gestures and dozens of windows pop up. Different newscasts and articles from all over Japan warn families of the dangers their loved one might be in. Their headlines warning everyone to not disconnect the players from the NerveGear, or they risk frying the player’s brain._ **  
  
Kayaba: As you can see, international media outlets have round-the-clock coverage of everything, including the deaths. At this point, it's safe to assume the likelihood of a NerveGear being removed is minimal at best. I hope this brings you a little comfort as you try to clear the game.  
It's important to remember the following:**

“Well that’s comforting. 213 people died, but don’t worry the rest probably won’t die because of outside interference.” Sinon sneered.

**Kayaba** : **There is no longer any way to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be deleted from the system... forever. And the NerveGear will simultaneously destroy your brain.**

_Kirito thinks back to the fight with rampaging pigs. Once foolhardy move, and even a low level mob like that could cause a game over. He imagines his avatar getting hit, his health bar dropping to zero, and his very self breaking apart into green pixels. The other players trapped in the game stare in horror at Kayaba’s avatar. The entire square silent as a grave._

**Kayaba: There is only one way for a player to escape now -- you must clear the game. Right now, you're gathered on Floor One, the lowest level of Aincrad. If you can get through the dungeon and defeat the boss, you may advance to the next floor. Defeat the boss on Floor 100, and you will clear the game.  
  
Random Guy #7: Clear?  
  
Random Girl (the third): What's he talking about?  
  
Handsome Guy (get ready this will be the last we see of him): Why should we believe any of the crap you're saying?  
  
Klein: We can't clear all 100 floors. That's freaking impossible... even the beta testers never made it that high!  
  
Kayaba: Last but not least, I've placed a little present in the item storage of every player. Please have a look.**

_Kirito scrolls through his windows, until finding the newest item in his inventory. He materializes the item, and a small mirror appears in his hand._ **  
  
Kirito: A mirror?**

He stares into the image of his avatar. Then he notices a bright blue light has encased Klein. Soon other players are engulfed into the light, including Kirito himself.

**Kirito: Klein!  
  
Klein: You okay, Kirito?  
  
Kirito: Yeah. Wait... Who are you?**

_Instead of pink haired bandit, a scraggy looking man tries to approach Kirito. But wait, doesn’t the stranger seem familiar? That’s when Kirito begins to notice his change in appearance too. Somehow he’s turned back into real appearance. He looks into his mirror, and an astonished middle schooler stares back at him._ **  
  
Klein: I'm me. Who are you?**

_Almost everyone in the square now looks completely different from the way they looked when they were transported here in the first place. There’s also been a noticeable shift in the overall gender population, the number of female players dropping significantly. The girth of the average player also dramatically increased too._ **  
  
Formerly Handsome Guy: Son of a... You're a guy?!  
  
Pink Guy (used to be a girl): You're not seventeen?  
  
Kirito: Wait a second.  
  
Klein: Is that you, Kirito?  
  
Kirito: Is that you, Klein?  
  
Klein: But, how?  
  
Kirito: The scan. There's a high-density signal device inside the NerveGear rig. It can see what my face looks like, but how's it know my height and body type?  
  
Klein: When you first put the NerveGear on, it had to do this... calibration thing. It asked you to touch your body all over like this, remember?**

_Klein begins to pat his body down, mimicking the actions the NerveGear require to adjust brainwave activity for the various movements a human body is capable of._ **  
  
Kirito: Oh, yeah, you're right. That's where it got our physical data.  
  
Klein: But, this is...What's the point?! Why would anyone do this to us?!  
  
Kirito: I think he's about to tell us.  
  
Kayaba: Right now, you are probably wondering why.  
Why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of Sword Art Online and NerveGear, do this? Ultimately, my goal was a simple one. The reason I created Sword Art Online was to control this world and meddle with it.**

Finally Kibaou had enough. He rushed straight for the stoic engineer, and decked him. Kibaou starts screaming at him, lost in his anger and pain. Kirito and Klein tried to intervene, but it was Asuna that finally got the orangette to calm down.

Asuna raised her hand, and slapped the enraged man. “Enough.” She hissed, looking the man straight in the eyes. “What’s done is done. No matter how hard you punch, you are never going to get the time he stole from all of us. There is no way to get back the lives he ended. There is nothing he can do to soothe the families that lost loved ones. All we can do is try to use what we learn here, watching this stupid screen, to protect ourselves in the future. Now sit down, and shut up!”

Kibaou silently moves away. Klein offers a hand to Kayaba, but is ignored. Sinon hugs a shaking Leafa, guiding her back to her seat.

Kirito grabs Asuna’s shoulder. “That was a good speech. The vice-leader of the Crimson Knights should be proud.” Asuna lets out a shaky laugh, and grips Kirito’s hand tightly. There are sure to be more outbursts before this affair is over, but like everything else they’ll face it together.

Once everyone was seated, the picture resumed. **  
Kirito: Kayaba...  
  
Kayaba: As you can see, I have achieved my goal. This marks the end of the tutorial and the official launch of Sword Art Online. Players, I wish you the best of luck.**

_The empty robes begin to pixelate, creating the illusion of the figure falling apart. With the last of the robe gone, the sky returns to a picturesque sunset. The players remain silent, frozen in horror. A figurative spotlight highlights Kirito. Blood drips to the ground, a figment of Kirito’s imagination, especially since Kirito’s virtual hand is without blemish. However, real or not the image reinforces the fact that for now SAO is his reality._ **  
  
Kirito: It's not a game. It's real. Akihiko Kayaba created a virtual world. He designed the NerveGear rig.  
The man's a genius! I've been a fan of his for a long time... so I know... everything he just said... is the truth! If I die in the game, I'll die in real life!**

_The camera pans to some familiar faces. Asuna, Silica, even Lizbeth. All of them trapped in the death game._ **  
  
Silica: My god... No!  
  
Panicked Players:   
No way!  
Not cool, dude!  
Let me out... Let me out of here!  
I can't stay here. I have a meeting after this!  
Stop pushing!  
  
Formerly Handsome Guy: You have to let us go!  
  
Pink Guy: Tell us you’re lying!**

_While everyone starts shouting up at the sky, Kirito notices the barrier trapping them in the square disappearing. He grabs Klein by the arm, pulling him towards the side streets._ **  
  
Kirito: Come on, Klein!  
**

“No.” Kirito whispers.

The others in the room turn towards the now shaking boy. Klein’s eye soften, he gets up out of his chair, and nonchalantly swings an arm around the boy. “Cool it man. You didn’t do anything wrong. You gave me a choice, and I didn’t take you up on it. Simple as that.”

His kind words didn’t stop the shaking. The older man sighed. He used his other hand to muss up the boy’s hair. For the remainder of the episode he would remain there, supporting his friend until he got it through that thick skull that the kid did nothing wrong.

_Kirito keeps pulling Klein until they reach one of the exits of the Town of Beginnings. He quickly explains his plan to other swordsmen._

**  
Kirito: Okay, listen. I'm heading out right now for the next village. I want you to come with me.  
  
Klein: Huh?  
  
Kirito: If what he said is true, and I think it is. The only way we're gonna survive in here is by making ourselves as strong as possible. In an MMORPG, the money you can earn... the EXP... Once the game starts up, there's only so much of that stuff to go around. Look, the fields around the Town of Beginnings are going to be hunted clean soon. If we head to the next village now, we'll have an easier time collecting cash and points. Don't worry, I know all the paths and places we should avoid.  
Even if I'm level one, I can get there easy.  
  
**

_The boy_ _pulls up a map highlight the route he wants to take to reach the next town._

**  
Klein: Thanks, but... you know those friends of mine I was telling you about... we stood in line for a whole night to buy this, and...They're back at the Plaza, somewhere... and I can't leave 'em.  
  
Kirito: ‘ _If it were just Klein... but two more... or even one more...’_  
  
Klein: Sorry. Can't ask a guy I just met to risk his life for a bunch of strangers, can I?  
So, don't worry about me. Get your ass to the next village. I'll be fine! Last game I played, I ran a guild, so I'm more than prepared. And with all the stuff you taught me, I'll get by, no sweat!  
  
** _The more Klein talks, the guiltier Kirito looks. Noticing the unease, Klein gives the younger swordsman a thumbs up._

**Kirito: Okay. If that's what you want, I'll get going. But if you're in a jam, message me, okay?  
  
Klein: Sure.  
  
Kirito: I'll be seeing you, Klein. Take care.**

_Kirito turns to leave, but walks with obvious reluctance. He’s hoping Klein will change his mind._ **  
  
Klein: Kirito! I...Hey... Kirito. Um, the real you kinda cute right?  
Way cuter than your avatar. I like you better this way.  
  
** _The boy stops. He turns around, a surprised smile taking over his face._

**Kirito: Yeah, and I think that scruffy face fits you ten times better too.**

**_The boy then turns around and runs out of town. By the time he decides to look back, Klein is gone. Kirito grits his teeth, and journeys on.  
_ **

_The scene changes to Kirito running across the plains. A wolf mob appears to block the way, springing at the swordsman. Kirito grabs the blade on his back, immediately starting the motion for a sword skill. A blue light springs from the blade, propelling Kirito into a lunge. The skill cuts wolf in half, not even breaking Kirito’s stride._

**  
Kirito: ‘ _I've got this! I can do this! This world can't beat me!_  
_I will survive!’_**

****

**Final Scene**

_The camera zooms into a palace dominating the Town of Beginnings. Inside is a black stone engraved with names of every player in Sword Art Online. Red lines begin to cover players’ names, indicating their death._

_Text scrolls across the screen:_

_In the game’s first month, 2000 died. Floor 1 has yet to be cleared-December 2 2022_


	3. Beater

SAO Episode 2: Beater

Episode Guide:

**Bold=In Episode Dialogue**

**_‘Bold Italics’=In Episode Character Thoughts_ **

_Italics=In Episode Description/Action_

Normal Script=Outside Of The Episode Talking And Action

* * *

Kirito sighed in relief when the screen blackened, and remained silent. It was over.

When Klein noticed younger boy relax, he just had to ruffle the kid’s hair. “Aw, quit pouting squirt. It all worked out in the end.” Kirito must have been less than amused, because the next thing he knew there was an elbow in his gut. Right, tease the kid, and expect a world of pain. Gotta remember that. “Well if you’re back to causing bodily harm on your elders, you’re probably fine.”

Kirito huffed, trying to hide a smile. “Says the man who cried over missing some weird pizza.”

Klein decided to ham it up a bit, maybe break up the gloom and doom that had descended on everyone. “No! My poor teriyaki mayo pizza. They just don’t make those like they used to anymore.” He got up and clutched his heart dramatically. “Oh my poor depraved heart, deprived of the best pizza on the planet for over two years. Oi! Kayaba you owe me $25.50 for a new pizza.” That remark got a few chuckles. He was pretty sure Kayaba was hiding a smile, but he couldn’t be sure.

“Do you think it’s over? Can we go home?” Leafa asked the group.

Sinon shook her head. “I don’t think so. Look at the screen.”

The others turned to a now blue screen. The words Beater appeared.

“Great, more on a bunch of cheaters.” Kibaou grumbled.

“What do you mean by that?” Asuna said, while beginning to rise out of her seat. Kirito grabbed her hand, entwining their fingers. “Kirito?”

“It’s fine. I’m used to it. Let’s just get this next episode over with ok?” He smiled, and Asuna couldn’t hold onto her anger anymore. She opened her mouth to reply, but the music on the screen interrupted her. She gave Kirito’s hand a squeeze. It would be okay. They would get through this together.

_The screen shows a breakdown of the digital plane that compromises the flying castle of Aincraid. A long cylindrical shape connects two planes. The camera draws closer to cylinder, slowly an image of a large stone tower takes the place of the cylinder. At last the image becomes clear, it is the tower that connects the first floor of Aincraid to the second, and a dungeon filled with monsters. At the top lies the first boss of Aincraid, guarding the entrance to the next stage of the death game._

**Kirito: Since the game began, a whole month has gone by. Over two thousand people have died so far.  
After all this time, none of the players have been able to clear Floor One. I used to be a beta tester, and even I haven't found out where the boss's lair is. And today, finally, we're having a meeting to figure out how to find and defeat the First Floor boss.**

“A little ominous aren’t we?” Asuna teased. “You should be a little happier. This is where we met for the first time.”

Leafa pushed aside her chair in excitement, grabbing a hold of her brother, and shaking him to and fro. “Why didn’t you ever tell me? How? When? Did you all like each other right away? Tell me.”

Asuna tried to placate the excited girl. Kirito was never going to be able to answer is she kept shaking him, and to be honest he was starting to look a little green too. “Now. Now. If you just calm down, you’ll see okay Leafa-chan?”

“Oh.” Leafa blushed, and let go of her brother. Kirito started hyperventilating, laying down on the floor, and trying to his lungs working again. He could hear Asuna urging Leafa to sit back down, but to be honest his mind was elsewhere. If this episode was going to show what really happened…

Kirito used his position on the ground to covertly glance at the orange cactus head. The man was currently sitting with his arm crossed, and glaring at the screen. The man had been a major thorn in Kirito’s side since the first floor in Sword Art Online. He was one of the founders of the Aincraid Liberation Front, otherwise known as the A.R.M.Y. to the other players. It was a massive organization that catered to the beginning and middle players in the game. Kibaou had not only fostered a powerful position in the A.R.M.Y., but brought his hatred of beta testers with him. He never ordered any direct attacks on any known beta testers, but he made sure they were discredited. Sometimes even forcefully making them turn over any good loot they were to acquire, and often tried to blacklist them from his own and other guilds if they decided to join. Conversely, while never in public, Kibaou was not above asking Kirito for help. He often deferred to the black swordsmen during boss meetings, before he disappeared from the front lines, and moved back to the Town of Beginnings.

Despite his unreserved hatred for supposed beta testers, if he saw everything this episode would reveal, it might just break him. Kirito didn’t know how to make the revelation any easier. Kibaou blamed beta testers for most of the deaths in Sword Art Online. How do you tell someone that a person that they worshiped was actually…

“Kirito?” A vision of hazelnut hair and eyes intruded upon the swordsmen’s thoughts. Asuna smiled at her boyfriend’s prone position. “Are you okay? Do you need a hand?” She held out her dainty, but strong hand.

He sighed, and smiled at the young woman. She was always there to pull him out of his darkness wasn’t she? With her, they would all get through this. “Fine. I’m back, just taking a moment to think.”

Sinon chuckled. “Does it usually take that long? Or you just slow on the uptake?”

Kirito stuck out his tongue like the incredibly mature almost adult he is. “No. I like to strategize, not just jump from ridiculous heights guns blazing.” Sinon smiled in response, and the screen began to play again.

_The camera pans through the last village before the tower to the second floor. Many players make their way to a stone amphitheater. Kirito stands silently, letting other pass him by. Only when no one is watching, does he makes his way to join the others sitting down amongst the stands._

**Diabel: Okay, people! Now that everyone's here, let's get this meeting started. Thank you for responding to my summons today. Good to see you. My name is Diabel. My job is… in my own mind, I like to think I’m a knight.**  
  
**Random Guy #1: Dude, there's no job system in this game!**

_The newly dubbed knight lets the crowd heckle him for a bit, before raising his hands to quiet everyone down. His expression turns serious, his previous silly nature all but gone._

**Diabel: Today, our party discovered the boss room at the top of the tower today. First, we need to defeat the boss make it to Floor Two, and tell everyone waiting in the Town of Beginnings that it is possible to beat this game! Fact is, it's our duty as the most capable players here! Isn’t that right everyone?**

_Warily, the other players look to each other. Eventually one screws up the courage to begin clapping. Whistles break out. Players smile, while others begin to cheer. The whole crowd is now under Diabel’s thrall._

Kirito smiles with nostalgia. “He was truly amazing. Brave, inspiring, and willing to take on a challenge I would never would want to take on.”

Leafa tilted her head to the side questioningly. “What do you mean big brother?”

Kirito smiled at his sister. “Well…”

“What does it matter?” Kibaou interrupted. “He’s dead, thanks to dirty little Beaters like you!”

Asuna pounded both fists on the table. “Kibaou! You know that’s not true!”

“Whatever.” The older man snorted. “Soon enough, everyone is gonna know the truth.”

Klein, who had been silent throughout most of the drama, questioned the orangette. “What does that mean man?”

Kibaou snorted, and refused to reply.

**Diabel: Okay, glad to hear you're all with me on this. Now let's figure out how we're going to beat the boss. First off, we'll team up into parties of six. A typical party doesn't stand a chance against a floor boss. We need a raid group made up of multiple parties.**

_Kirito’s face so full of hope, transforms into one of fear. All around him, the other players are teaming up. Invites screens are being pulled out. Leaders are being chosen. While he is alone. Kirito looks around for anyone else struggling to find a team, and spots another loner on the opposite side of the theater. As he scoots closer, he notices a dirty brown cape shrouding the figure. It doesn’t seem to faze him, because even with just one more member he can still be a part of the raid._  
  
**Kirito: You got left out too, huh?**  
  
**Cloaked Figure: I wasn't left out. It's just everyone seems like they're already friends.**  
  
**Kirito: So you're solo too? You want to form a party with me? You heard what the guy just said.**  
 **We can't beat the boss on our own. So just for this one fight?**

_The cloaked figure doesn’t object, so Kirito opens up his menu. An invitation screen pops up in front of the mysterious figure. They push the accept button, and a new name is added underneath Kirito’s health bar. Kirito looks closer, and the mysterious figure’s name is revealed to be A-S-U-N-A._

“WHAT!!!” Everyone but Asuna and Kirito scream. Asuna blushes. Kirito tries to cover his ears.

Klein leaves his seat, and puts Kirito into a headlock. “You sly dog! Already entrenching yourself with most famous beauty in the entire game. No wonder none of the others guys stood a chance.”

“No it wasn’t like that.” Kirito tries to choke out, while his air supply is being restricted.

Meanwhile the girls had cornered Asuna. “Ne. Asuna-chan you never told me you and big brother had known each other for so long.” Leafa berated her guildmate.

Sinon pushed the younger girl out of the way. “Wait. Why did you use the same screen name as your real name? Didn’t you worry about some pervert invading your privacy?”

Asuna was starting to panic. “Well, you see, it wasn’t like that at all. I didn’t know much about gaming then. I was totally a newbie, and well…”

A loud AHEM, broke up the impromptu interrogation. Kayaba finally had enough. “If you will sit down, and act your age, then I’m sure all of your questions will be answered. If you have forgotten, we cannot leave until the person who arranged all of this is sure we’ve seen every image they want us too. You are wasting valuable time on pointless frivolities.”

Suitably cowed, the others began to return to their seat, but Kirito wasn’t about to let Kayaba have the last word. “It’s not frivolous to ask questions of a friend. It’s about strengthening the bonds between us. Something in all your time pretending to be a god, has deprived you of. After all, a god has to be untouchable.”

“Childish.” With that last remark, Kayaba sat down, and the screen began to play again.

**  
Diabel: All right. Looks like everyone's teamed up. Now then...**

**  
Kibaou: Hold up a sec!**

_An orange headed man interrupts the meeting. He jumps from the top of the amphitheater, landing on step, and propelling off for another leap. He finally lands in front Diabel._

**Kibaou: My name's Kibaou, got that? Before we take on the boss, I want to get something off my chest! We all know about the two thousand people who died so far, yeah? Well, some of you need to apologize to them right now!**

Sinon glares at the orangette in their company. “Was that necessary? You all were trapped in a death game and you want to stop to point fingers?”

“What would you know girlie?” Kibaou gets up to scream. “Those damn cheaters caused the deaths of thousands, and no has been punished for it. Sure most of the blame goes to this guy.” Kibaou stops to point at Kayaba, who only sneers at the accusation. “But our government has done nothing about any of it. I’m sick of it all. When I get out of here, everyone is gonna know that Kayaba is still around. That somehow this coward is out there playing dead to avoid persecution. By the time I’m done, the whole world is going to know who to blame for the thousands killed are none other than Akihito Kayaba and his cheating beta testers.”

“Now hold on there.” Now even Klein had to protest. “You know that’s unfair. Kayaba may have been the one pulling the strings, or data in this case, but the beta testers were no different than any other player.”

Leafa was done being quiet. She marched over to Kibaou and poked him solidly in the chest. “Besides Mr. I Know Everything, the only reason you even got out that mess was because of my big brother. A beta tester who was the hero of Sword Art Online. You are only here right now because he cleared the game.”

Kibaou sniffed. “Oh yeah? How do we know that all wasn’t some trick? Maybe he was in league with Kayaba all along? Maybe…”

“What did you mean that soon everyone will know?” Came a soft but firm command from the black swordsman. The whole room became deadly quiet. Kirito hadn’t moved once all the commotion began, but everyone could feel a dark rage emanating from the teen. He glared at Kibaou, causing the older man to shudder. “What have you been up to since we all returned to real world Kibaou?”

“I-I-I’ve been,” Kibaou took a deep breath to stop his stuttering. How could he let a kid get to him like this? “Once I woke up in the hospital, my job and my home were all gone. No one wanted to hire me after I got back. Many were too afraid that I had been a part of some murder guild or something. Others wanted me to wait, make sure I didn’t have some sort of side effects or something from being plugged into a computer.”

Suddenly, the orangette smiled. “Then I got an idea. The government had spent so much time hushing the whole incident up, that no one really knew what had happened in there. So why not let everyone know about the cheaters, PKers, and other low downs that took advantage of the players. And didn’t the families of those who died deserve to know who took their loved ones away? It was SAO that cost me everything, so why not use it to get some payback? That makes sense right?”

The others were too horrified to reply. Asuna stood up, shaking her head from side to side like she hoped she misheard. “You’re kidding right? That would ruin the lives of so many people! No one knew for sure that if you died in the game, it was for real. Many had to kill others, just to be sure they survived. Plus the beta testers had to endure years of shame and rejection, and you want to drag all of that back into the real world too? Are you crazy?”

Kibaou was not impressed. “Oh, grow up missy. I won’t be using any real names. Your boyfriend will be fine. It’s a work based off what really happened. Not an autobiography, but more like inspired by true events.”

 Sinon crossed her arms in annoyance. “That doesn’t mean people won’t believe that it’s the absolute truth, especially if they know the author was a real SAO player. You could be hurting a lot of people with this plan.”

“So what?” Kibaou snorted. “They’ll just be getting their just desserts.” No one knew how to contradict the man, and screen began to play again. The others reluctantly took back their seats, but no one was looking at Kibaou if they could help it.  
  
Diabel: Kibaou, I think I know who you're referring to. You mean the ones who were ex-beta testers, right?  
  
Kibaou: Course I mean them! The day this stupid ass game started, the beta guys just got up and vanished right? They ditched all us beginners! They snagged all the good hunting spots, and they grabbed all the easy quests too! They were the only ones getting stronger in here. This whole time, they've ignored us like we were nothing.

Kirito clenched his hands into fists. “Not true.” When the others turned to look at him, he repeated himself louder. “Not true! What about Argo? (Character from the SAO Progressive series.)  What about all the beta testers who provided guides for everyone? Not everyone ran away like I did!”

“Big brother.” Leafa admonished, while taking his hand.

 **Kibaou:** **Hell, I bet there are some of them here! Come on out beta testers! We should make them apologize to us, and we should make them all give up their money and the items they hoarded!  
They can't expect the party to trust them when they don't trust us! Why should we?!**

“And we come to real reason at last. Greed.” Sinon snarked.

 _A tall dark stranger stood up from amongst the crowd. The stranger was a powerful axe wielder, who towered over Kibaou, His presence seemed to intimidate the man._  
  
**Agil: Can I say something? Hey, my name's Agil. Kibaou right? I want to make sure I'm on the same page. You say the ex-beta testers should be blamed for the rookies' deaths because they didn't help them, and you want them to apologize and give out compensation. I leave anything out?**  
  
**Kibaou: No, you didn't.**

_Agil held up a small brown book in front of the orangette._

**Agil: The item store hands these out for free. It's a guidebook. You got one, didn't you?**  
  
**Kibaou: Sure I got one. So, what about it?**  
  
**Agil: You know who was handing these out? The ex-beta testers.**

_The crowd whispered amongst themselves. Agil nodded, and then turned to address the rest of the crowd._

**  
Agil: Listen up! Everyone had equal access to this information. Even so, lots of players still died.**

**I didn't come here to point fingers at anyone. I'm here because I want to learn from those players' deaths. I'm here because I want to find out how we're gonna beat the boss.  
**

Klein smiled. “Damn. I knew I liked that dude for a reason. Way to stand up for what’s important big guy!”

_Kibaou harrumphed, but went to sit down in the stands. Diabel could finally get back to what was really important._

**Diabel: Okay, can we get back to the meeting now? For info on the boss, it's all in here -- the latest issue of the guidebook you just heard about. According to the book, the boss's name is Illfang the Kobold Lord. Also, he'll be surrounded by his minions -- the Ruin Kobold Sentinels. Illfang carries an axe and a buckler. He has four health bars, and when the last one turns red, he switches to a curved sword type weapon called a Talwar. His patterns of attack change with his weapon too. That's it for the briefing. As for the distribution of loot, money will be divided equally among everyone. The party that defeats the boss gets the EXP; and whoever gets an item, gets to keep it. Any objections? Good! We leave tomorrow at ten in the morning! Meeting adjourned, people.**

_People began gathering in their chosen parties after the dismissal of the meeting. However, Kirito’s cloaked partner left without saying another word._

* * *

 

_The scene changes to nighttime in the village square.Kibaou and Diabel can be seen drinking together with most of the warriors at the meeting. In a secluded alleyway, we see Kirito’s partner struggling to tear into a cheap roll of bread._

**Kirito:  Those are pretty good, aren't they? Mind if I sit down?**

Klein smirks at his younger friend. “Is this the start of a beautiful romance?” The aforementioned couple just glare, and the trickster puts up his hand in surrender.  
  
**Asuna: You really think these taste good?**  
  
**Kirito: Uh-huh. Since I came to this town, I end up eating at least one a day. Of course, I’ve got a trick to make it taste better.**

 _Kirito sits down on the same ledge, but the cloaked figure scoots away to create more distance. The boy pretends not to notice, and brings out a little jar from his inventory. He places it in the middle of the ledge, allowing them both to share._  
  
**Asuna: What trick?**  
  
**Kirito: Try putting some of that on the bread.**

 _Warily, the stranger clicks on the pot. A white light surrounds their fingers, indication that the contents of the pot can now be added onto another item. She spreads the light onto the bread, and thick gooey substance appears._  
  
**Asuna: Cream?**  
  
**Kirito: It’s a reward from a quest called "The Heifer Strikes Back”. It’s in the one village behind this one, if you want to know how I did it.**

 _Kirito then adds the cream to his own bread roll. While he eats, the stranger watches him. Warily, the figure takes a small bite. It must have been delicious, because the mysterious partner then proceeds to devour the bread roll, even sighing happily when it’s all gone._  
  
**Asuna: Uh-uh. I appreciate the offer, but I didn't come to this town to eat good food.**  
  
**Kirito: Okay. Why are you here?**  
  
**Asuna: So I don't lose sight of who I am. I don't want to lock myself in a room in the Town of Beginnings and slowly rot away. I'd rather stay the way I am till the last moment. Even if a monster beats me and I die, I won't lose to this game or this world. No matter what.**

**Kirito: I wouldn't want a party member dying on me… So try not to die tomorrow.**

**  
** Kayaba was a little perturbed by this statement. He knew that the young lady on screen had been quite the force to be reckoned with. It was why he recruited her to become his lieutenant. How could the woman depicted on screen become the dynamo that inspired the Crimson Knights? He almost turned to ask, but stopped. He knew Kirito and Asuna might be able to give him answers, but would they? None of the others wanted him to be there, and on some level he didn’t blame them. He huffed silently. Why was he concerned about this? All this talk of feelings and useless things must be getting to him, distracting him from the one thing that mattered.

Kayaba stared at boy who had changed everything, before reluctantly turning back to the screen.

_The scene changed to Diabel leading everyone through the forest leading to the boss dungeon, and entrance to the second floor. Kirito was trying to bring his mysterious partner Asuna up to speed._

**Kirito: Let's go over it again. We're the backup. So, our target's gonna be the boss's minions -- the Ruin Kobold Sentinels.**  
  
**Asuna: I know.**  
  
**Kirito: I'll use a sword skill to knock their weapons up and out of the way. When I do, switch and jump in.**  
  
**Asuna: What's the switch?**

 _Kirito stops and stares at his partner._  
  
**Kirito: Okay, level with me. Is this the first time you've ever been in a party?**  
  
**Asuna: Uh-huh.**

Everyone laughs as the Kirito on screen loudly one more time. Leafa turns to Asuna. “Really Asuna-chan? Did you even read the manual before jumping into the game?”

Asuna smiles and shakes her head. The room erupts with laughter once again.

_The scene switches once again. Now the whole group has gathered outside the doors leading to the boss. Diabel stands in front, sword down, and ready to give some encouragement to the brave participators in the very first SAO boss battle._

**Diabel: Listen up, everyone. I've only got one thing to say to you. Let's win! Come on!**

Despite being angry, Kirito knows he can’t wait any longer. He stands up, gaining everyone’s attention. He walks over and clasps Kibaou’s shoulder.

“What?” The orangette asks. He glances up to see the teen staring at him with an intense, and somber expression.

Kirito closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and plunges into some of the most difficult words he’s ever had to say. “I really respected Diabel. He was everything I could never be. Brave. Inspiring. A true leader. I admired him deeply, and I know you did too. What you are about to see…I don’t want anything to change that for you.”

“Like anything could…” Kibaou sneered, before Kirito cut him off.

“Diabel had a secret. If this shows what I think it will, then you need to be prepared. It doesn’t change the kind of person he was. I’m sure he had a good reason for attempting what he did. I’m just asking you to remember all the good he did okay? Hold onto that.” With one final squeeze. He let Kibaou go, and returned to his seat. He closed his eyes, and tried to ignore the curious stares he was getting from everyone else. They would learn soon enough.

 _Diabel pushes open the boss’ room doors, and the players cautiously follow. On a throne, in the darkened part of the room, a monsters starts to awaken. Red eyes glitter in the darkness. A clawed hand reaches for a large axe. The room lights up as everyone enters the room, and Illfang the Kobold Lord jumps toward the players. He lets out a mighty roar, as his four health bars appear above his head. Three of the lord’s minion’s appear, and together they rush the players. The battle has begun!_  
  
**Diabel: Commence attack! Squads A and C, switch in!**  
**Here it comes! Squad B, block!**  
**Squad C, keep guarding and prepare to switch!**  
**Everyone else, when you fall back, regroup and flank them! Squads D, E and F, keep those minions off us!**  
  
**Kirito: Yeah, you got it!**

 _Kirito moves into action. He uses a sword skill to knock the Kobold minion off balance. He calls out to his partner._  
Kirito: Switch!  
  
**Asuna: I'm on it!**

 _The cloaked figure flies past Kirito. Her sword ready to tear the minion apart._  
  
**Kirito: I thought she was a beginner, but she's got good skills. She’s so fast, I can't even see the tip of her sword!**

_Meanwhile the Asuna on screen has already caused critical damage to the minion they’ve been attacking. Causing the monster to break into green and blue pixels. Kirito smiles in approval._

**Kirito: Good job!**

The real life Asuna turns her head, so no one could see her blush. Who knew that from the beginning Kirito held such a high opinion of her?

 _While Kirito and Asuna had been fending off the minions, the others tackled the main boss. They had whittled Illfang’s health down to the last bar, and it was getting closer and closer to the red zone. Finally, the boss let out a snarl, and threw away his axe and shield._  
  
**Kibaou: Looks like the guidebook was right.**  
  
**Diabel: Stay back! I've got it!**

**Kirito: ‘ _I thought the plan was for everyone in the group to surround it!’_**

_Diabel moved forward, ready to take on the boss by himself. Kirito threw the last minion off balance, and let Asuna move in. He stopped to stare at their leader in confusion. Diabel glanced at Kirito, smirking. Kirito began to get a bad feeling. Illfang pulled out his last weapon. Kirito paled._

  
**Kirito: _‘That's not a Talwar! It's a No-dachi! This isn't like the beta!’_**  
**Wait, stop!**  
  
**Kibaou: Huh?**  
  
**Kirito: It's no good! Get out of there!**

 _Kirito disable the last minion. He tried to move towards Diabel, but it was too late. Diabel had already released a sword skill. He couldn’t stop. Illfang leapt into the air, bounced off a pillar, and slashed down at the knight. Diabel was hit, but the monster didn’t stop there. It followed its attack with another slash. The force of the attack threw Diabel into the air._  
  
**Kibaou: Diabel! No!**

 _The others wanted to move towards their comrade, but they suddenly found themselves face to face with a snarling Kobold lord. Their pattern was broken. They couldn’t counter attack. Kirito ignored the battle, and rushed towards the fallen knight. He pulled out a potion, but the knight stopped him._  
  
**Kirito: Diabel! What the hell were you thinking?**  
  
**Diabel: You know -- you were a beta-tester too, weren't you?**

By this pointmost of the girls were in tears, but Kibaou was hit the hardest. He stood up, not even noticing when his chair fell over. “No. It can’t be true. There’s no possible way. Why?”

Klein got up to comfort the other man. “I never met the man, but it’s obvious he was a hero. Don’t demean his sacrifice just because you learned something new about him.”

Kibaou began out right crying. His sobs racking his entire body. Klein led him back to his seat. Everyone except Kayaba got up to place a hand on the man. Silently telling him he was not alone. It took several minutes for the crying to stop, and they could resume watching the screen.  
  
**Kirito: You were after the Last Attack Bonus -- the rare item. You're a beta tester, just like me.**  
  
**Diabel: Please... you have to... defeat the boss... for everyone here!**

 _Diabel struggled to smile at his successor, before bursting into shards. Leaving Kirito crushed. He thought back to the day he had left Klein behind._  
  
**_Kirito: ‘When this death game started, the only thing I thought about was how I was gonna survive._**  
**_Nothing else mattered. But you weren't like that, Diabel. You never abandoned the other players._**  
**_You brought them together. You led everyone, and you fought brilliantly._**  
**_You tried to accomplish something I couldn't.’_**

 _Kirito grit his teeth, and stood up. The other defenders had broken formation. Some ran back to the entrance of the boss’ room. Several others had been knocked off balance, helpless before the raging Illfang. Asuna came and stood by Kirito, their hands grasping the hilt of their weapons._  
  
**Asuna: I'll go too.**  
  
**Kirito: Thanks. We'll hit him just like we did the minions!**  
  
**Asuna: You got it.**

 _Together the duo rushed towards the boss. Illfang began a forward thrust skill, but Kirito was prepared. He unleashed a sword skill of his own. Kirito’s sword turned a rich blue, and suddenly the boy’s body was flying. The two skills canceled each other, leaving the two opponents off balance._  
  
**Kirito: Switch! Asuna!**

_The rapier in Asuna’s hand glowed, but before she could unleash the skill movement Illfang’s eye’s glowed. The boss slashed at the cloaked figure, and Asuna barely dodged. Illfang’s weapon caught on the cloak instead. The garment ripped apart, leaving behind a girl with glittering chestnut hair. The girl screamed in defiance. With her glowing rapier, she unleashed a powerful attack. Kirito was left dumbstruck._

Sinon couldn’t resist teasing the black swordsmen. “Do you always lose focus like that on the battlefield Kirito? Or only when you see a pretty face?” She laughed as the couple both turned red.  
  
**Kirito: Oh, no! He's coming back!**

_While Asuna had struck a mighty blow, the boss was still not defeated. Kirito got back into the fight. Using his previous experience he was able to counter Illfang’s sword skills. Then Asuna would dart in to strike while the monster was off balance. It was a delicate dance. One wrong move would spell disaster. Finally, the boss was able to land a hit on Kirito. The force of the blow knocked the swordsman into Asuna as well. Kirito’s health bar dropped dramatically, and Asuna was trapped underneath him. Illfang dropped on top of them, prepared to swing one more time. All hope seemed lost._

_Asuna raised her weapon, and prepared to block. A green light burst out between Asuna’s sword and Illfang’s No-daichi. When the light cleared, the two swordsmen could see a tall but familiar axe man standing between the duo and the boss. Another group of players rushed to fend off the monsters while their savior checked on them._  
  
**Agil: We can hold this bastard off until your health's back up!**

The group of watchers cheered at the entrance of the axe wielder. Even though they knew the couple had survived, it was still tough to watch the people you care about in such danger.

“You saved them! Way to go Agil-sama!” Leafa cheered.

“You have a good friend there.” Sinon pointed out to Kirito.

“I know,” Kirito smiled. “He’s always been there for everyone, in the game, or in real life.”

Klein was shouting at the top of his lungs. Even Kibaou cracked a smile, but quickly covered it up. Kayaba didn’t say anything, but inwardly he was relieved too.  
  
**Kirito: You got it!**  
  
**Random guy #2: Back off monster!**  
**Random guy #3: You're going down!**

_Agil’s team surrounded the boss, but that turned out to be a mistake. The boss let out a circular attack that knocked them all into the air. Before the monster could unleash its next attack, Kirito was unleashing another sword skill._

**Kirito: Watch out!**

_Kirito’s sword began to glow, propelling his attack forward. One miscalculation and this move wouldn’t counter Illfang’s skill, it would just put the boy in line for the monster’s next attack._

**Kirito: I’ll get you first.**

_His gamble paid off. Kirito hit the Kobold lord midair, canceling the monster’s skill, and causing massive damage. Illfang crashed into the ground, and Kirito quickly landed on his feet. Already, he was turned around, and moving to unleash his next strike._

  
**Kirito: Come on, Asuna! Help me beat this sucker! One last attack!**  
  
**Asuna: Roger!**

_Once more the swordsmen attacked. Kirito blocked, and Asuna attacked. Except this time they didn’t stop to regroup, and try again. They continued to hit the lord, again, and again. Enraged, Kirito let out his final sword skill, cutting the Kobold lord from stomach to its head. It was the last straw. The mighty beast blew apart into hundreds of shards. It was over._

Klein got up to slap Kirito on the back. “Damn. Remind to not get on your bad side. That was badass.”  
  
**Everyone: We did it!**

 _A large screen proclaimed ‘Congratulations!’ to the players. The whole room erupted into celebration. Kirito collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath. A tiny screen appeared in front of him. The screen read: Last attack bonus-coat of midnight. Kirito was about to put the item into inventory, when a certain chestnut haired girl moved toward the collapsed swordsman. Agil followed._  
  
Asuna: Nice job.  
  
Agil: That was some fine swordsmanship.  
Congratulations -- today's victory is all thanks to you.  
  
Kirito: No.  
  
Random Guy #4: Yeah! You rock, man!

 _The other players began cheering and clapping. Kirito let out a tentative smile. Everyone honoring the man that turned almost defeat, into stunning victory. All except one, who couldn’t keep his jealousy and despair contained._  
  
**Kibaou: Stop cheering!**  
**Why'd you do it, huh? Why'd you let Diabel die?!**

Leafa began to cry again. This couldn’t be happening, just when her brother was enjoying himself.

Sinon glared at the orangette. “You absolute bastard! Is that how you treat someone that just saved your sorry behind?”

Kibaou didn’t respond. He was still too broken to formulate a reply. Wasn’t it the swordsman fault? If he had just shared his prior knowledge then… But Diabel had been hiding something too. So it was the knights own fault? He was so confused.

 _The room turned instantly silent. The other players frozen in shock._  
  
**Kirito: Let him die?**  
  
**Kibaou: That's what I said. Admit it! You knew the technique the boss was gonna use. You could've told us! Then Diabel would've stood a chance...He wouldn't have died!**  
  
**Random Guy #5: I know the truth! He used to be a beta-tester! Think about it! He knew the boss's attack patterns! He knew, but he kept it from us! And I bet he's not the only beta-tester here! Come on, show yourselves!**  
  
**Kirito:' _This is bad... at this rate...'_**

 _What was once a celebration had turned into a den of suspicion. Player accused player. Angered mutterings filled the room. Kirito looked around, noticing the rising tension. He thought back to Diabel’s dying words: ‘_ _For everyone’_  
  
**Agil: Hey! Calm down! Hmm?**

 _Kirito looked back at his new item screen. It suddenly dawned on him how he could fix all of this. If he was just brave enough…He gulped, and began his plan. A loud evil cackle began to fill the room. Everyone turned to watch the young swordsman as he laughed manically. He rose from his crouched position to face the room, smirking all the while._  
  
**Kirito: So, you guys think I used to be a beta-tester. I wish you wouldn’t compare me to those noobs.**  
  
**Kibaou: What'd you say?**

Asuna had enough. She knew why he’d done it the first time, and watching it again only made the reasoning clearer. It was still a boneheaded, heroic, stupid, ingenious move. She punched her boyfriend in the shoulder. “I know why you did it, but if you ever make a sacrificial move like that again I will skin you.” She got right into her boy’s face. “Got it?” Kirito nodded his head in fear. You do not mess with Asuna when she got into a mood like this.  
  
**Kirito: You heard me. Most of the thousand people who scored a slot in SAO's beta were rookies. They were so green, they didn't even know how to level up. Hell, even you guys are better than they were.**  
**But me, I'm nothing like those guys. During the beta, I made it to floors that were higher than any of the other testers. That's a fact. I knew about the boss, because I fought tons of monsters with those sword skills on higher floors! I know a bunch of other things, too. More than you can imagine. More than any info broker.**

Kayaba was intrigued. By turning himself into a villain, Kirito had followed an almost inverted path to the one Kayaba had planned for himself. Kirito made himself renowned as the evil beta tester. A man who was too strong to ignore, but could never be trusted. While Kayaba had made his character into the hero. A man respected as the strongest and noblest of leaders. Both hiding behind a mask, only revealing their true selves at the very end. Kayaba turning against the other players as the final boss, and Kirito revealing himself to the selfless hero that would save them all. Ironic? Yes. Coincidence? He wasn’t sure.  
  
**Kibaou: W-What the hell? If that's true, then you're worse than a beta-tester! You're a goddamn cheater, that's what you are!**  
  
**Random Guy #6: He's a beta-tester and a cheater! He's a Beater!**

Watching his other self began to rouse Kibaou out of his melancholy. He felt like his whole world had been turned upside down. He had known that most of the beat… no Kirito’s act had been fake. Something he could admit to himself, but never the public. He had even turned it around to bolster his own success, while in private using the solitary swordsman’s good nature when no one was watching. He had watched as the other frontliners had distanced themselves from the Beater, glad to know that a filthy cheater would never be truly accepted. Now though, he began to feel a little ashamed. Just a little.

**Kirito: A beater... Yeah, that's good. I like it. Okay, you can call me a beater. Just make sure you don't confuse me with the other beta-testers anymore.**

_While shocking everyone with his monologue, Kirito began fussing with control over his equipment screens. One final confirmation, and a black coat appeared. He smiled at his new dark look, and swept by the others players left speechless in his wake. Asuna wasn’t fooled though. She caught up to the other swordsman on the stairs._  
  
**Asuna: Wait! When we were fighting the boss, you called me by my name.**  
  
**Kirito: I wasn't trying to be rude. Did I mess up the pronunciation?**  
  
**Asuna: How'd you even know it?**

“REALLY?” The others in the room yelled. Even Kayaba raised an eyebrow towards the young woman.

Asuna huffed, looking like put out child. “It was my first time in a party! How was I supposed to know?”  
  
**Kirito: If you look right about here, you'll see another HP gauge under yours. There's a name written right next to it, yeah?**

 _The onscreen Asuna narrowed her eyes, looking towards at the health bar hidden in the periphery of her vision. There. Right below her own gauge was the name of her partner._  
  
**Asuna: Ki-ri-to...**  
**Kirito?**  
**Your name's Kirito.**  
  
**Kirito: Yeah.**  
  
**Asuna: I'm so dumb. It was there the whole time and I never knew.**  
  
**Kirito: You can become powerful here on your own. But if the day comes when someone you trust invites you to join a guild, don't turn it down, because there're limits to what a solo player can do.**  
  
**Asuna: Then what about you?**

_Kirito didn’t turn around. He didn’t want to get anyone else involved. He began scrolling through the screens, until he came to the invite screen, and dissolved their party._

“You idiot!” Leafa got up and slapped her big brother, crying the whole time. “Why? Why did you go off all on your own? Asuna didn’t ask to be left alone. She didn’t believe all the crap you told everyone else. Why did you let her go?”

Kirito smiled gently. He wiped the tears from his sister’s eyes before replying. “Taking her with me would’ve condemned her to the same fate as me.”

“And you thought I wouldn’t be able to handle that?” Asuna challenged, her eyes glittering in anger.

“No. No.” Kirito shook his head. “I knew that she already had a strength that I couldn’t match. That she could be a light to guide all the other players. If I had taken her with me, the stigma of a beater would’ve shadowed her entry into other guilds. If she came with me, then she would’ve had to play solo, whether she wanted to or not.

“Idiot.” Asuna told him. Leafa nodded in agreement, but that didn’t stop both girls from hugging him. They remained like that for the rest of the episode, giving comfort to each other.

_Kirito continues up the stairway, and enters the door to the second floor alone. The camera stays on him until he disappears into the darkness of doorway. A blue and green screen appears detailing the name of the next episode: The Red-Nosed Reindeer_

* * *

 

Whew. It’s over. I don’t think that the rest of the chapters will be this long, but we’ll see. I’m taking down the poll about episodes 4&5\. It’s clear that most people want those episodes in this fic. Instead I’m putting up another poll. If and I mean IF, I decide to do a watching the series Fairy Dance arc, who would you want to be on the panel. Kirito, Asuna, and Yui are non-negotiable, but I’m not sure who else I could add. So vote, review, and let me know what you think.

Also, thank you Lordban for your review. You totally gave me some ideas on how to make watching those episodes important for the character growth of our captive audience. Thanks for everyone who review, it totally motivates me to keep going.


	4. Omake 1

Omake 1

Nothing really plot driven in this chapter. Skip if you want. This is mostly to break up the first 3 episodes, which seemed designed to rip poor Kirito’s heart out. I’ve ended the first two episodes with Kirito being hugged. He needs a little fun, especially for what’s coming next. I might use this again, to kind of give the characters to review what’s been going on. Plus it’s fun. :)

_______________________________________________________________________________

Kirito was surrounded, but in the good way. He was holding the two most important women in his life, and they were hugging him back. He pressed his nose into Asuna’s hair. One of the best things of being back in reality, it was the return of the sense of smell. Sure there had been some manufactured scents in virtual reality, especially around food, but players didn’t have scents. Since coming back he had discovered that Asuna smelled like rosemary and honey to him. It was really calming, and the humming was nice too. Wait, humming?

Kirito turned his head to listen. Between the soft melody and scent he was in almost trance. Words began to be sung along with the melody.

_...Still not understanding why, I stand behind myself, scared. Projecting reality onto today._

The atmosphere had been so peaceful, until several gasps broke Kirito out of his trance. He and the girls immediately looked up at the others. Asuna slid out of Kirito’s lap, and Leafa also broke the embrace. Asuna moved like she wanted to draw her sword, but settled for clenching her fists.

“Guys look at the screen.” Klein called out while pointing to the previously black screen. Now there was a frozen image of two Asunas floating midair. One dressed in Asuna’s armor in Sword Art Online, and the other dressed in more casual clothing. The two girls peered at each other, separated by a see through glass. Kirito narrowed his eyes, in the background he could see a village like many of the towns found in fantasy RPGs.

Kirito turned towards Klein. “Did another episode begin?”

“Naw man.” Klein shook his head. “That’s what’s so creepy, the images just popped up, but they’re not continuous like all the images. This one starts, stops, and then begins again. Not sure what exactly it’s doing.”

“Could it be because of the singing?” Sinon asked.

“What singing…Oh.” Kirito blushed. Leafa had used to sing to herself all the time, at least until Kendo had taken over her time. He hadn’t even heard her hum, unless she was cooking, or oddly enough practicing her sword forms in Alfheim Online.

Klein grinned, and moved over to clap Kirito on the shoulder. “Got a little distracted huh? Can’t blame you there pal. I know I would be if two lovely ladies were clinging to me like that. Plus, who knew the little lady over there could sing?” Now it was Leafa’s turn to blush.

“Knock it off.” Kirito pushed his over enthusiastic friend away.

“Still, it is odd that the projection system has all of sudden began to malfunction.” Kayaba pointed out, bringing everyone back on topic.

“D-oo you really think it was because of my singing?” Leafa wondered aloud.

Sinon got up from her seat, and walked over to Leafa. “One way to find out. Try singing something.” She stood shoulder to shoulder, silently giving her support.

Leafa quickly glanced at the others in the room. Kibaou was still out of it, and Kayaba just didn’t seem to care. Everyone else was staring. She cleared her throat, and began to sing. “…This must be my fleeting heart…”

“Look it did it again.” Klein shouted. Sure enough the image on screen had changed to the square in the Town of Beginnings. Now even Kibaou was becoming interested.

“So what? This thing responds to voice commands all of a sudden.” Kibaou crossed his arms. “How does that help anything? We’re still trapped.”

Kirito shrugged. “You’re right, but it breaks the pattern. So far we’ve had no choice in anything this thing shows us.” He looked at the other six occupants. “We’ve all been passive observers. Now we have the opportunity to actually do something.”

Asuna raised an eyebrow at her partner. “Yes, but does this thing only respond to singing?”

“Maybe so or maybe not. What we do know is that so far it has been responding to Leafa so far.” He turned to his little sister. “That song you’ve been singing, what’s it called?”

Leafa blushed. “I don’t really know. You know that intro at the beginning of the episodes? It’s from that.”

“But we’ve only heard that music twice, and you’ve already memorized it?” Sinon teased while bumping shoulders with the blushing girl. “Nice hidden talent Leafa-chan.”

“Great. We’ve established she can sing. Big whoop.” Kibaou grumped.

Kirito scowled at the orangette. “What it means is that maybe the screen only responds to things from the show.”

Klein laughed loudly. Kirito narrowed his eyes at the shit-eating grin that stole across his friend’s face. “Klein…” Klein just ignored him, opened his mouth, and began to belt out another song.

“MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB, LITTLE LAMB. MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB WHOSE FLEECE…”

Klein didn’t get to finish. He was double teamed. Asuna punched him, while Sinon took out his legs. Asuna stood over him, hands on her hips. “Never **eve** r do that again.” She glared when Klein just grinned up at her.

“As amusing as this juvenile behavior is. I don’t think it had the effect you were looking for.” Kayaba told them all, while pointing to the screen. The image had changed to a blue screen, with words reading out ‘DOES NOT COMPUTE’.

“Hmm. I think you’re right Sinon. The screen only changes to things coming from the images we’ve seen so far.” Kirito pondered for a moment. “Maybe we can use that to find out what our mysterious benefactor wants us to see.”

Klein, by this point had managed to sit back up. “Great idea. Hey,’ screen thingie show us the image our shadowy friend wants us all to see.”

The group waited with bated breath. The image on screen changed again. This time the screen turned white with black lettering that spelled out ‘NOT AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME’. Several disappointed sighs escaped everyone’s lips. Apparently it wouldn’t be so easy to escape as they all hoped.

“Useless.” Kibaou grumbled. “What good is this thing if we can’t use it show us what we want to see? So far all it’s been good for karaoke.”

Kayaba stood up. “As fascinating as this speculation is, I have another idea. Perhaps this screen cannot reveal anything we’ve not already seen before, like the advent of Sword Art Online.” All the players turned toward the screen as the image changed again. A large red cloaked figure hovered over thousands of bodies in the main square of the Town of Beginnings. Kayaba smirked. “Well it seems I was correct.”

“So we can review anything this thing shows us?” Sinon cocked her head to the side. “Like the songs at the beginning and end? Any past dialogue? We can watch any of the past events? That could…actually be pretty useful.”

Kibaou harrumphed. “I still don’t see how this is helpful **AT ALL**.”

Sinon ignored the grumping, and held up three fingers. “First we can use this to review any material we might have missed while talking amongst ourselves. Second we can use this to clarify any questions about we’ve seen.” Sinon smiled, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Plus there is the entertainment value.”

Klein whooped. “You got that right sniper-chan. Let’s see…we could do a montage of player’s funniest moments.”

Kirito huffed. “I would like to see you act your age just once.” The image on screen changed to a picture of Klein with his arms crossed, right before Kirito was about to leave him behind.

“Ask and you shall receive.” Asuna teased.

Klein wanted to get on the teasing too. “What about some of Kirito’s funniest moments?” He huffed when the screen white again, ‘NOT AVAILIABLE AT THIS TIME’ being spelled out it black letters.

Kirito was ready for payback. “Show us some of Klein’s more embarrassing moments.” The screen changed again. First was an image of Klein sent flying by a boar monster. Shortly after another image appeared of Klein getting kneed in the groin. Another image appeared of Klein freaking over his pizza. Several more images appeared one after another, until they began to repeat. They played one after another in a loop. Even Kayaba cracked a smile at the absurdness that is the pink samurai.

Klein looked back at the black swordsman. “Yuck it up now. The screen said the images weren’t available now, not that they couldn’t show up in the future.” Kirito nodded in response, a smirk playing on lips. Klein read that as _challenge accepted_.

The room quieted down when the images on the projector switched. A red screen with a countdown began. White letters on the top read ‘COUNTDOWN TO NEXT EPISODE’. Everyone returned to their seats, preparing themselves for the next set of revelations.

 


	5. Red-nosed Reindeer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m back with another update. I freed up some time now that my first panel at anime convention is done. That was so fun, I even hosted someone else’s panel when they didn’t show up. I put together a kingdom hearts panel in 5 minutes, and then hosted my own panel later that day. I’m thinking of doing another one. I also got several ideas for other fanfics. It’s going to be so much fun trying to juggle them all.

SAO Episode 3 Red-Nosed Reindeer

Episode Guide:

**Bold=In Episode Dialogue**

**_‘Bold Italics’=In Episode Character Thoughts_ **

_Italics=In Episode Description/Action_

Normal Script=Outside Of The Episode Talking And Action

* * *

 

_The episode starts with several people making a toast. Kirito sits uncomfortably in front of a smiling group of players making merry inside a restaurant._

**Ducker: Here's to us, the Moonlit Black Cats! Cheers, everyone!  
  
Members of the Moonlit Black Cats: Cheers!  
  
Ducker: I got another. Here's to the guy who saved our lives! To Kirito!  
  
Everyone: To Kirito!**

The real Kirito gasped, and stood up. He shook his denial, his face having turned very pale. Asuna reached for him, but he shook her off. “No. I’m not watching this. Screw learning some blasted lesson, I’m not playing this sick game anymore.” The black swordsmen then turned around and ran into the shadows. The others screamed after him, afraid what could befall him in the mysteries of the void in which they were all trapped. Kirito ran until he could no longer see the table, and then popped out the other side of the room from where he started.

This didn’t deter him from trying in a different direction. Then another, the opposite, and picked one at random. He just ended up popping back facing the table and screens. Kayaba raised an eyebrow at the boy’s antics. Asuna, Klein, and Leafa looked concerned. Kibaou seemed perplexed, and kept switching between looking at the screen and the swordsmen. Asuna looked ready to cry, and that’s what finally got through to him. Kirito covered his eyes and sighed. There was really no escape from this.

Kirito didn’t say a word until he had sat back down. He lowered his head to the table with an audible thunk. “Don’t bother me until it’s over.” He told the rest of the party. His friends exchanged silent looks before focusing back on the screen. **  
  
Kirito: Uh... Cheers, guys...  
  
**

_A young man wearing red armor raises his goblet. He is the obvious leader of the team. He was a two handed staff user, meaning he was proficient in both defense and offense._ **  
**

**Keita: Thanks.  
  
** _The purple tunic wearing frontline mace user was the next one to offer his gratitude._

 **Tetsuo: Yeah, man.  
  
** _This time a person wearing green, and a hat that looked like it belonged to Attila the Hun offered his own thanks. Kirito recognized him as the damage dealer, and had a good handling of his spear._

**Sasamaru: Thank you.**

_From across the room a boy in a yellow cape offered his own salute. If there had been such a thing as job classes, Ducker would have been excellent thief. He was quick to draw, and knew how to use his dagger proficiently._ **  
  
Ducker: You saved us back there.**

 _A nervous young woman in blue armor clutched her goblet tightly. Kirito wasn’t sure if she was intimidated by being the only girl in the group, or if it was just him she was afraid of. He remembered her fumbling with her two handed spear while running away from monsters._ **  
  
Sachi: Thank you. Thank you so much.  
  
Kirito: Oh, it's cool.  
  
Sachi I can tell you how scared I was. And it made me so happy when you came to save us, I...**

**Kirito: Oh, well...**

Klein couldn’t put his finger on where he recognized these kids from. There weren’t that many people Kirito had hung out with in the death game. There weren’t that many people the kid trusted period. Before hooking up with Asuna, the swordsmen was renowned for being a loner. The only exception had been the one time Kirito had joined… “Ah hells bells,” Klein muttered. He was pretty sure he recognized what incident this episode was going to cover. He looked up, and even though he could only see some shadows he decided to yell up to them anyway. Hopefully their kidnapper was listening. “Hey! Any chance we could skip this one? It’s not that important to the overall completion of the game.” Kirito actually looked up after that comment. The glare the kid sent his way was enough to make Klein quickly rectify that last statement. “Well yeah it’s always important when someone dies, but it also dredges up some pretty bad memories too. What do you say we forget this episode, and go ahead and skip to the next one okay?” The captive audience waited for some sort of response, but the screen began to play again. Kirito gave his friend a sad smile, appreciating that the samurai had at least tried to stop the inevitable playing of the worst day in Kirito’s life. **  
  
Keita: Uh, Kirito, sir. I hope I'm not out of line asking this, but I was wondering what level you're at?**

 _The audience gets a view from Kirito’s perspective. He glances up into the right corner to glance at his level indicator, he’s just moved up to level 40._ **  
  
Kirito: Level twenty.**

Leafa looked over at the black swordsmen. At least his forehead wasn’t attached to the table anymore. “Why would you pretend to be weaker? Wouldn’t it be comforting to be protected by a stronger player?”

Asuna squeezed Kirito’s hands, letting him know she would take this question. “At this point in the game no one but clearers were so far ahead, and Kirito was heads above even them when it came to levels. He was also the best known beater, next to Argo the information dealer. If he let them know how strong he really was, he would be instantly labeled.”

Kibaou was starting to feel uncomfortable. He had been the leading voice against beaters, the A.R.M.Y. guild had flat out refused to accept known beaters. Yet, he had often offered allegiances to the black swordsmen during boss raids. Not that he would’ve admitted to that in public. He had often been enraged when the beater had refused his alliance, and instead took on helpful but separate responsibilities. He had never really wondered why though. What would have been the reason why the swordsmen could’ve felt uncomfortable interacting with people who resented his skill and experience? By being so invective, he had forced the boy into a very lonely role. Beaters were always at risk of social persecution, sometimes revealed beaters were even dragged out for public Player Kills. The perpetrators not even caring if they were dragged down to the Black Iron Palace prison dungeon.

He snuck a peek at the hero of the whole SAO incident. When he had first contemplated writing a book, he hadn’t thought about how he was largely responsible for turning the strongest player into an outcast. **  
  
Keita: Really? You're at our level and still a solo player. You're an inspiration, sir!  
  
Kirito: Keita, I'm not your superior. And being solo means I'm always hunting enemies out in the boonies. It's not very efficient.**

Asuna snorted. She blushed when everyone turned towards her. “Well it’s just, between Argo’s information and his own experience he has a very strict training regimen. I’ve never gained more levels then when I was training with him.”

Kayaba was very interested in this bit of information. He hoped that the screen would reveal some of his training methods. He was very curious on how the clearers gained enough strength to take on his cardinal system. **  
  
Keita: Oh... right. Well, in that case, I hate to spring this on you here, but... if you want, we'd love to have you in our guild. Our mace wielder, Tetsuo, is only one we can put out front right now. And then we've got Sachi over here. I was thinking of having her switch to sword-and-shield. That way, she can fight on the front lines. The thing is, she says she's not sure she could handle it. If you join us, maybe you could teach her a thing or two?**

 _Keita pats the head of the sole girl in the groupuntil she’s finally had enough. She throws off his hand and is ready to snark back..._ **  
  
Sachi: Oh, come on! I'm not that useless.  
  
Keita: Um...  
  
Sachi: Seriously, you can't just put me up front and expect me to know what to do. Of course I'd be terrified.  
  
Tetsuo: It's no big deal, just hide behind the shield.  
  
Keita: Yeah, right. Ever since I can remember you've always been a scaredy-cat.  
  
** _Sachi pouts while her guildmates laugh._ **  
  
Keita: We always joke around like that. See, in real life, we all went to the same high school and are members of the PC Research Club. But if you’re worried about fitting in with us, don't. As far as I'm concerned, you're already part of our group, right?  
  
Everyone: Mmhmm.**

_Sachi smiles in welcome. Kirito is obviously uncomfortable, tightening his hands into fist, but powers through his anxiety._

Asuna feels a little twinge in her heart. She gives Kirito’s hand a squeeze that’s a little too rough. When he looks at her, she just smiles to reassure him. She knows how she should be feeling, remorse for dead friends, apprehension for seeing more players die, worry for the pain her boyfriend will have to re-experience. Yet there’s another emotion stirring at her heart. Irritation maybe? She’s not sure, but that smile Sachi wears is the root of it. That she knows. **  
  
Kirito: Well... I guess I’ll join you guys after all…Glad to work with you.  
  
**_The Moonlight Black Cats start to grin. They surround their newest member with questions and laughter. The picture becomes grainy and still like a photograph. It’s the picturesque start to a tragic friendship._

* * *

 

_The Black Cats are working on their combat skills. They have a single praying mantis mob surrounded. Sachi, Kirito, and Tetsuo are in front, acting as the assault team._

“Ewww! It’s a giant bug.” Leafa screamed and hid behind Sinon’s chair.

Sinon patted the dark haired girl on the head. “Oh come on, it’s not that big of a deal. You should see some of the bug monsters in Gun Gale, now those fly, have gigantic mandibles, and drip ooze everywhere. Those are terrifying, at least you don’t have to fight anything like that in ALO.”

Leafa was not impressed. “But why do they have disgusting things like in a videogame at all?” She whined, before moving back to her seat.

“There is a psychological factor in creating bigger buy type monsters. People are terrified of insects tinier than thumbs, so by amplifying their size they become much more terrifying. Players that are usually fine with typical monsters freeze, and become easier targets. Thus more player groupings appear in levels where buy type monsters appear.” Kayaba explained to the room.

Kibaou looked skeptical. “So wait a minute, you pretty much admitted to adding humongous bugs to freak people out?”

Kayaba just glared, and turned back to the screen. Some people would never understand the intricacies in creating engaging gaming mechanics.

_Tetsuo manages to hit the mantis mob. It hisses in response and goes after Sachi. The girl screams as the attack hits her shield, knocking her off balance._

Asuna feels a little smug. Even when she was a noob, she had more balance than that. She would never have let a glancing attack slow her down. 

 _Kirito steps in to defend the blue haired girl. He’s managed to cut off one of the monster’s limbs. Now is the time to press the attack._ **  
**

**Kirito: Sachi, get back! I got this! Come on, Tetsuo! Switch out!  
  
Tetsuo: Got it! All right!**

_Tetsuo darts in with a solid slam to the bug’s abdomen. The monster disintegrates into pixels, Tetsuo even gained a level for getting the final blow on the monster. The entire gang surround him to celebrate. Later the group has found a nice quiet place to relax and have lunch. Keita has out one of Argo’s news releases in hand._ **  
  
Keita: The Assault Team made it through to floor twenty-eight. That's amazing! Hey, Kirito. What the heck does the Assault Team have that we don't?  
  
Kirito: Well, access to information? With that, they can find out the easiest ways to get EXP, and they don't share that info.  
  
Keita: Yeah, you're probably right. But I think what really sets them apart is willpower.  
  
Kirito: What do you mean?  
  
Keita: You could say it’s how determined you are to protect your friends…No all the players. The truth is, I'd like to think we have the same kind of drive, even though we still need a protection. That said our first priority is looking out for each other. But someday, if we get strong enough, we'll join the elites in the Assault Team.  
  
Kirito: I see. That's a good goal.**

Kibaou got a little misty eyed. “He reminds of Diabel a little bit.” The orangette stopped to wipe his eyes with his forearms. “Is that why you decided to help them?”

Kirito smiled a little forlornly. “Maybe a little. Most of what I saw was a great group of friends struggling to get stronger in a deadly world. If they could have gotten more levels, I think they would’ve had a good effect on the Assault Team as a whole. I just wanted them to make them a little stronger before parting paths.”

“You wouldn’t have stayed with them even when they caught up to you? Why?” Sinon tilted her head in confusion. Even as a strong sniper in Gun Gale, she had still needed support. While she never joined a guild, there were teams she paired up with for battles.

Kirito shook his head. “It would have shut a lot of doors in the faces, to be associated with the most infamous beater of them all. They never would be able to gain entrance to the larger guilds, or if they wanted to stay small they could be relegated to only the menial positions. Some would even accuse them of being beaters themselves.”

The others in the room tried to protest that statement, but Sinon knew better. She caught Kirito’s eye, and nodded in understanding. She knew what it was like to live under a stigma. It took someone really strong to make friends with an outcast. The Moonlit Black Cats looked like a nice group, but she didn’t think they would have the fortitude to stand up the prejudice beaters lived under. **  
  
Keita: I don't know, I guess...**

 _The others jumped down to the ledge Kirito and Keita were eating on. Ducker snuck up behind Keita and put him into a chokehold._ **  
  
Ducker: Hey, leader! You’re so cool!  
  
Tetsuo: So, you really think we can be as strong as the Holy Dragon Alliance or the Knight of the Blood Oath?  
  
Keita: Yeah, what if I do? Nothing wrong with setting our sights high. But we have to be level thirty first.  
  
Sachi: That's impossible.  
  
Kirito: I like the way Keita thinks. If the Black Cats can level up fast and get to the front lines, his ideals could change the elitist attitude of the Assault Team.**

_The Kirito on screen looks at his own level, which has climbed to 48. Even now he continues to further the gap between himself, and the guild he has pledged allegiance too._

Klein looked at his buddy, raising one eyebrow. “So not only do you have the ability to make levels while being held down by a bunch of beginners, you also seem to have some sort of debacle with the other clearers. What do you have against the Assault Team buster? I can remember several arguments between yourself and the Lighting Flash over there about strategy. I never got the chance to ask before, but what’s your beef?”

Asuna let go of Kirito’s hand, and crossed her arms. “I would like to know too.”

Kirito sighed and pushed back in his chair. “Fine. It’s just that the guilds got way too militaristic and cutthroat much too early. By level 25 three guilds basically dominated the whole Assault Team. Anyone who didn’t join was put under enormous pressure. Lots were drawn to decide who would lead, instead of merit. Fights broke out over loot distribution. I must have been challenged at least 20 times for the Last Attack Bonuses I earned. Several claiming I didn’t deserve any treasure because I’m a low down cheater. Not a single one of the smaller guilds ever got to lead, including you mister guild master.” He pointed a finger towards Klein.

Okay, the samurai had to concede the point on that. Klein rubbed the back of his in awkward agreement.

“By level 75 it was clear who the top guild was, and who called all the shots. Even before I realized who Heathcliff really was, I could predict a pretty serious fallout for letting one guild control everything. If they ever experienced too many losses, or…” Here he turned to glare at Kayaba. “If their illustrious leader ever left them, the whole Assault Team would fall apart. And if things had followed his script it would have.”

Kayaba was impressed. Who knew that someone else had seen the signs of the collapse of the organization that pressed the Clearers forward? It seemed he had underestimated his opponent again. Kirito was right. He had deliberately monopolized leading the boss battles. He had also pressured the other leaders of the lesser guilds into falling into line with him, and it worked. If things had continued on schedule then by level 90 his secret would have been revealed, his knights in disarray, and the field would have been ripe for Kirito to pick the pieces back up and lead. The social outcast becomes the hero, the greatest hero is revealed to be the ultimate villain, and there had been such poetry to that outcome. He was almost sorry events hadn’t played out that way. Almost.

* * *

 

_The scene changes back to the inn the Black Cats frequent the most. Keita has the whole group assembled to hear his latest news._

**  
Keita: I have an announcement to make. After our latest hunt in the field, we've got 200,000 col!  
  
Everyone: Wow!  
  
Tetsuo: Buying a house of our own doesn't seem like such a pipe dream anymore.  
  
Sasamaru: I know, we should upgrade Sachi's equipment.  
  
Keita: Good idea!  
  
Sachi: Uh-uh. I'm fine with what I have.  
  
Ducker: Oh, come on! You know, it's not fair to make Kirito be out in front forever.  
  
Sachi: I'm sorry.  
  
Kirito: Don't worry about me. I'm cool with it.**

Leafa leans forward to look at her brother. “Playing it cool for the lady big brother?” She giggled when Kirito glared, but it was the glare Asuna gave which made it truly funny. Leafa knew that this event had a made a huge hole in her brother’s heart. It was only natural for a girlfriend to be a little jealous too. Love was selfish, at least in her experience. **  
  
Keita: Thanks Kirito. Sachi, I know switching jobs isn't as easy, but seriously you're almost there. You can do it! I know it!  
  
**

* * *

 

_Later that night Kirito slips out of his room. He is all geared up, his sword at the ready. He leaves the safety of the city, and heads out into the fields. A team of monster hunters has already got the red devil dogs on the ropes. A familiar head of pink hair confronts the monster._

**Kirito: Klein...**

Klein blinks in surprise. “I didn’t realize that we had met up during this. Although I guess that explains the guild icon.” He glances at the Kirito. “Sorry man. Wish I could’ve helped.”

 _The pink haired samurai finishes the mob with a sword skill. He glances up and recognizes the observer._ **  
  
Klein: Phew... Hey, it’s you, Kirito! The trash mobs' all yours, guys!  
  
Guys: Sure!**

 _The friendly guild master jogs up the hill to meet up with Kirito. He glances in surprise at the icon hanging above his health bar. He had always thought Kirito would be a loner, unless he finally managed to wear him down to join up with his guild._ **  
  
Klein: Man, it's been a while since I've seen you. What? You doing some late night leveling or something? What's up with that icon? Did you join a guild?  
  
Kirito: Yeah, I guess you could say that.  
  
Guys: It's all clear! We can move on!  
  
Kirito: See ya.**

 _Kirito can barely look Klein in the eye. He’s more than ready to move away at the slightest excuse. Klein watches with a skeptic look on his face. He can see right through Kirito’s standoffishness._ **  
  
Klein: Yeah...Oh, come on. Is it still bugging you?**

Klein didn’t make eye contact with anyone in the room, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. He could feel the glares the girls were sending his way. Okay, it wasn’t the most sensitive thing to say, but how was he to know that he was being spied upon? No one could predict being kidnapped and forced to watch the most intimate details of the whole SAO experience. Right? **  
  
**

* * *

 

_Kirito has just returned through the teleportation gate, and receives a message from one of his guildmates. Not that anyone else has the ability to instant message him, well besides Argo **.**_

**Keita: It's Keita. Sachi went off somewhere and hasn't come back yet. We're heading to the dungeon now. Please let me know if you find anything out.  
  
Kirito: Sachi...**

_Kirito scrolls through his menus until he finds his tracking skills. His eyes turn green. Kirito glances around until he can see fluorescent footprints glowing further into town._

“I didn’t know they had tracking skills in that game.” Sinon is practically bouncing in her seat. “That is a completely different skill than most of the successors for VMMPORG. Can you follow anyone with that skill?”

Kirito smiles. “No. It only allows for people that you are partied with.”

Kayaba ponders for a moment. “There had been some debate on creating a tracking skill similar to the one shown, but for use against enemies. However, most of the developers believed it would give some too much of an advantage. So it was never fully developed.”

Sinon shook her head sadly. “Shame. If that had existed in Gun Gale no one would have ever been able to escape from me.” The girl doesn’t notice that the rest of the occupants shudder in fear.

* * *

 

_Several scenes from the town are shown, but finally the camera settles on the underway of a bridge. Kirito follows by the riverside, a place hidden from most of the traffic overhead. He finds Sachi sitting by the underground, huddled into a small ball._

**  
Kirito: Sachi!  
  
Sachi: Kirito...  
  
Kirito: Everyone's worried about you.**

_Instead of getting up, that last comment causes Sachi to squeeze her knees closer. She looks away when Kirito sits down to join her._ **  
  
Sachi: Hey, Kirito.  
  
Kirito: Yeah.  
  
Sachi: We should run away.  
  
Kirito: Run away... from what?  
  
Sachi: From this town. From the monsters. From the Moonlit Black Cats. And from Sword Art Online, too.**

Asuna feels another pang in her heart, not from jealousy, but empathy. The pose, the brooding, if this was taking place in an inn it would be the mirror image to Asuna’s struggles in the beginning of SAO. She remembers the overwhelming fear, and the sense of injustice. Why should she be trapped here? She had so much to live for outside of that stupid game. Or, at least that what’s she kept telling herself. She had felt like there was this gigantic timer overhead. Each day lost in the game, was another lost into making something of herself. It had taken Kirito and Yui to break her out of that fear, and to stop and enjoy. She wasn’t losing a day in reality, she was just living with people who cared about her. **  
  
**_Meanwhile the Kirito on screen is panicking._

 **Kirito: A-Are you talking about double suicide?  
  
Sachi: That's not such a bad idea. Sorry, no. If I had guts to die, I wouldn't be hiding in the safety of town, would I? But really, why can't we just leave? Why do we have to die, when it's just a stupid game? What's the point of going through this?  
  
Kirito: Yeah, there is no point. I guess.  
  
** Kayaba shifted uncomfortably. There had been a point. He had wanted to create the best world, one that surpassed even reality. But after that, he had just wanted to see how people would react in it. He succeeded in trapping a few thousand inside of his game. Forcing them to live in his reality, with even the real consequence of death if they failed. But it wasn’t enough to just watch, he wanted to be there beside the players as they challenged his world’s limits and laws, and overcame them. Being the commander of one of the stronger guilds, he had pretty much only worked with players that somewhat overcome their fear of death. Or at least conquered it enough to keep pressing forward against the game. He hadn’t spared much thought to the weaker players, the ones that weren’t strong enough to challenge his system. Maybe he shouldn’t have taken his counseling program offline…but hadn’t he wanted to see real people overcome the limits he had set. To see them evolve, and grow. A few would have to die, but that had never really bothered him before. So why? Why was he starting to care?

**Sachi: I... I'm so afraid of dying in here.  
  
Kirito: You’re afraid to die?  
  
Sachi: I'm so scared. I haven't been able to get any sleep lately.  
  
Kirito: You're not going to die.  
  
Sachi: Really? How can you be so sure about that?  
  
Kirito: The Black Cats are strong enough as a guild. Besides, our margin of safety is well above the norm. Plus, you've got Tetsuo and me up front. So, there is no reason to be on the front line with us.  
  
Sachi: You honestly don't think I'll die? Will I make it back to the real world?  
  
Kirito: Yeah. You're not going to die. You'll see. We'll clear this game and go home soon.**

_For the first time Sachi is able to look up and smile. A tear falls, her relief is so great._

The real Kirito had to close his eyes. This sucked. It royally sucked to see how much those words meant to Sachi. Words that in the end meant nothing. Asuna has picked up his hand again, but he doesn’t look at her. He won’t.

* * *

 

_Kirito is messing with his screens at the inn where his guildmates sleep. He hears a knock at the door._

**Kirito: Come in!** **  
**

**  
Sachi: I'm sorry. I can't seem to get to sleep.**

_Kirito looks surprised, and the scene fades to a bed filled with two people._

Klein whistles. “Daring ain’t ya?” He teases his friend, who’s still trying to tune the rest of them out.

Kirito opens one eye, and sees the screen stuck on the images of the bed. He blushes as red as a tomato. Causing everyone to laugh, except Asuna who seems to be pouting. Kirito is trying to explain, but he’s stuttering too much for him to be understood. He’s still trying to explain when the screen begins to play again. **  
  
Kirito: ‘ _If I stay in this guild, she'll be safe._ _And we'll all make it back to the real world someday._ _There must be a lot of players like her, who're afraid of dying in here._ _But still, they laugh, and cry, and try to live as best they can._ _I've never even thought about it before.’_  
  
Sachi: Kirito?**

 _Sachi has woken up, and Kirito turns to look at her._ **  
  
Kirito: It's okay. I promise you're going to survive.  
  
Sachi: Mmhmm.  
  
Kirito: ‘ _And no matter what, I promise I'll protect all of you.’_**

 _He raises his fist like he’s holding his sword. Making a silent promise to himself, and those he cares about._ **  
**

* * *

 

_The guild has gathered to send their leader off in style. Keita is off to buy a guild house, only available from the first town on the first floor. Finally, the Moonlit Black Cats will have a home to call their own._

**  
Keita: Okay, I'm heading out. Teleport: Town of Beginnings.  
  
Sasamaru: Can you believe it? I never thought buying a house would so exciting!  
  
Ducker: Dude, you sound like an old man!  
  
Tetsuo: Hey, while Keita's off buying the house, what do guys say go and raise some extra cash?  
  
Sachi: Oh, then we can buy furniture.  
  
Ducker: Come on, let's go to a dungeon on a higher floor!  
  
** _The on screen Kirito frowns, but decides to go ahead and rain on their parade. He has the most experience after all, but they don’t know that._

**Kirito: We should stick to our usual hunting spots.  
  
Sasamaru: But up there we can make more and faster.  
  
Ducker: Yeah, at our levels, we don't have anything to worry about.**

“They don’t listen to you very well.” The group turns towards the frowning samurai. His expression is thoughtful, Kirito once called it Klein’s LEADER face. “They know that you are more experience, and are a treasure trove of knowledge. Even if you haven’t shown them your true abilities. Yet they still don’t listen.”

Leafa decided to butt in. “They were excited.”

“Still.” Klein won’t be perturbed. He has a point to make. “They should have listened, especially since they were already down a member.”

Kirito didn’t comment. He was busy not freaking out. He had a death grip on Asuna’s reclaimed hand. She wasn’t going to complain though. She could predict what was coming next. **  
**

* * *

 

_Kirito has given into the peer pressure. The group has decided to take on one of the more challenging dungeons on floor 27, to grab some easy loot._

**  
Sasamaru: You see, I told you guys this was going to be cake! We might even be able to reach the front lines soon.  
  
Ducker: That's what I'm talking about. Look!**

_The thief-like character spots a glyph character on the wall. He touches it, and another room is revealed. A treasure chest rests in the middle of the room._ **  
  
Kirito: ‘ _No way! A hidden door?’_  
  
**

_Kirito starts to feel uneasy. There’s nothing about this in Argo’s player reports. Someone out there should have found this already. So why wasn’t there any info about it?_ **  
  
**

**Ducker: A treasure chest! Hoho!  
  
Kirito: No! Wait! It's a trap, guys! Hurry! Let's get out of here!**

_Kirito’s instincts are proven right! As soon as Ducker opens the chest, an alarm goes off. The previous blue light has changed to an ominous red. The door to the room has closed._ **  
  
Ducker: Teleport: Taft! Ah... Teleport: Taft!  
  
Sachi: We can't use our crystals!**

Kibaou can hardly breathe. A room where teleport crystals don’t work, at level 27? Impossible. No one had ever seen a room until Argo came up with a guide to trap rooms at level 30. Something about a guild that got wiped out…Oh. He glanced over at the beat-no Kirito in sympathy. **  
  
Kirito: So this is a crystal nullification area?**

 _Some of the walls of the room slide open revealing monsters. Stone golems and menacing dwarves surround the party. There is no escape. Kirito fends several of the dwarves off, but he can’t be everywhere at once. Ducker trips, losing his balance he falls to the floor. Several dwarves surround the fallen player, and raise their pick axes. Ducker can’t defend himself._ **  
  
Ducker: Ahhh!**

 _With a final scream Ducker breaks apart into green pixels. One down, four left. Kirito takes down a golem in revenge, but Tetsuo leans out too far. He’s hit by a monster._ **  
  
Tetsuo: Ahhh!**

 _Sasamaru glances back to see his friend disintegrate. He uses a skill to pierce the golem that killed his friend, but the golem raises his hand to deliver a counter attack._ **  
  
Sasamaru: Tetsuo! Damn you! Ahhh!**

 _Three down, and two to go. Kirito is desperate. He can’t let all of his friends get killed! He slashes monster after monster, not stopping even when he is hit. Sachi is blocking a golem’s attack, and holding her own. Kirito wants to get to her, but two more golems have moved to block his path._ **  
  
Kirito: Sachi!  
  
Sachi: Kirito!**

_Sachi manages to throw off one of the golems, and go after the one attacking from the back. She knocks that one off too. Kirito slashes at the two monsters blocking him, causing them to disappear in a flash. He reaches his hand towards the girl. She sees him coming and reaches for him. Except she has let her guard down, and one of the golems manages to land a hit. The last of Sachi’s health bar disappears. She mouths something to Kirito, but he can’t hear her. He can’t get to her in time, and she shatters before his very eyes._

The room is silent. The girls are out right sobbing. Asuna has turned to Kirito, and buried herself in his chest. Meanwhile he’s using her hair as shield to hide his tears. Leafa and Sinon have run towards Klein. He has two gorgeous girls in his lap, but he doesn’t care. He just hugs them as he lets his own tears fall. Kibaou is slamming his fist into the table. Screaming, “Damn, damn, damn it all.”

Kayaba isn’t crying. He’s struggling with another emotion he hasn’t felt in years. He tilts his head back, and closes his eyes. Yes, he remembers the name for this ache in his chest. It’s called shame.

It takes several minutes before everyone has regained enough composure to finish watching the next episode.

* * *

 

_The scene switches to a winter wonderland. The music becomes upbeat and cheery. A huge Christmas tree dominates the town, and players can be seen everywhere shopping, laughing, and getting into the Christmas spirt. The scene couldn’t be more opposite to the tragedy last depicted._

_A dejected Kirito slumps dejectedly against one of the benches. A hooded figure stands behind him, their face masked except for some bright red painted whiskers on their face._ **  
  
**

**Argo: I hear someone's been taking risks with their level raising.  
  
Kirito: Did you get any new information for me?**

Kirito grumbled to himself. “Of course they would have to show this part too.” Asuna wanted to ask him about that comment, but she was too comfortable. After the last scene, the girl had given up hugging for snuggling with her boyfriend. Seated firmly in his lap, but turned towards the front, so she could still watch. Her head rested on one of his shoulders, her face turned towards his neck. It was warm, and all she wanted to do was bask in it for a while. Nothing on screen could be worse than what they’d all seen, but she wasn’t ready for more drama. **  
  
Argo: Nothing worth charging you money for.  
  
Kirito: You give info brokers a bad name.  
  
Argo: This wasn't in the beta test. It's a first-time event. How am I supposed to know what's going to happen? All I know is that tonight on Christmas Eve, the event boss is going to appear. He's called "Nicholas the Renegade." He's going to show up under a fir tree somewhere. The major guilds are searching everywhere for the tree as we speak. You wouldn't happen to know where it is, would you?**

Kibaou blinked, before standing up and shouting. “It’s Argo, the worst known beater of them all.”

Kirito couldn’t resist. “I thought I was the most infamous beater of them all.” A tiny, miniscule smirk showing on his face. He was too tired to really laugh.

“Yeah but…” Kibaou began connecting the dots. “You’re friends?”

Kirito snorted. “As much as anyone can be with Argo. She doesn’t exactly trust other people too much, but she has helped me out several times.”

Kibaou had to think about that for a moment. Here was another example of a beater out there helping others, for a price, even with the beater title hanging over their head. What if beaters hadn’t been ostracized? What could they have brought to the front lines if they could have joined the clearers without fear? **  
  
Kirito: Maybe.  
  
Argo: Are you seriously thinking of going solo on this one?**

_Kirito doesn’t answer the info broker, but disappears into the crowd more determined than ever._

That comment snapped Asuna out of her stupor. She hit poked her living seat in the chest. “You did something stupid didn’t you?” She hissed. Kirito didn’t answer, but the sheepish scratching of the cheek indicated enough guilt to validate her theory.

* * *

 

 _The scene changes to Kirito sitting in the dark at an inn. He’s planning out his next move._ **  
  
**

**Kirito: ‘ _In this world, the dead can never return to life._ _I heard a rumor though. If you beat Nicholas the Renegade, he drops an item that can revive a dead player. If I fight him alone, I’ll probably die. No one will see me, no one will know. Nothing will be left behind._ _That's how I'll die.’_**

Leafa couldn’t stand it anymore. She stood up and placed both hands around her brother’s face. Totally ignoring his girlfriend, she leaned in. “Do you still feel that way?” Kirito tried to evade her gaze, but this close there was nowhere to hide. “Do you?”

Kirito wouldn’t look at her. “Maybe right now.” Even if he didn’t look he could feel her glare. “But that’s just because of the replay on screen. I haven’t felt that way in a long time, and even now…” This time he could look her in the eye. “Now I know there’s more to live for. You, Asuna, Yui, Sinon, Klein and the others mean so much to me. How could I leave you all behind?”

Leafa nodded, that’s what she needed to hear before she could let this go. She caught Asuna’s nod, and returned to her seat. **  
  
**

_The scene changes to a flashback of Kirito’s confrontation with Keita. Kirito’s the only to make it out of the trap room alive. Keita is in shock, his hand still clutching the keys to the guild’s new home._ **  
  
**

**Keita: You're a beater! You had no right to be with us!**

_With that last shout, all the fight has left Keita’s body. He staggers towards the balcony where the two have met to discuss the tragedy. Before Kirito can stop him, Keita has climbed to the top of the balcony’s railing. He jumped._

Kayaba could hardly breathe. How could one last minute little change to a hidden room cost a promising guild, and nearly the life of the most powerful player in the game? How much would have changed if he hadn’t caved to his developer’s demand to add more challenges to the game after the beta test? Would have Kirito remained in the guild? Would the girl…Sachi still have died? Would Kirito have even managed to usurp him at all? Maybe even sooner? He didn’t know, and with their deaths he never would. **  
  
Kirito: ‘ _That's right... It's my fault._ _My arrogance killed you, all of you._ _If only I hadn't kept my true level as a player secret from everyone._ _I have to figure out a way to beat Nicholas, then I can revive Sachi._ _And then, I'll find out what she was trying to tell me. Whatever words she chooses to curse me with, I’ve got to accept them.’_**

* * *

 

 _Kirito sets out into a snow covered forest, but is stopped by a familiar face and his guild._ **  
  
Klein: Yo.  
  
Kirito: You followed me?  
  
Klein: Of course. You're after the revival item, aren't you?  
  
Kirito: Yeah.  
  
Klein: Don't be risking your life over some rumor that could turn out be bogus. Man, you can't be messing around in this death game. Once your HP hits zero, that's it. In the real world, your brain gets fried and it's...  
  
Kirito: Shut up...  
  
Klein: Enough with your reckless solo raids! Join us…Whoever gets the revival item drop keeps it, no hard feelings. Hey, that’s fair isn’t it?**

Sinon glares at the samurai. “Yeah it is fair, but if you are helping a friend fairness should go out the window. Of course he was never going to join, if you couldn’t guarantee him the item. Dumbass.”

Klein rubbed the back of his head. “You have a point there missy.” **  
  
Kirito: But then, there'd be no point. I have to do this. Alone.  
  
Klein: Think about what you're doing, Kirito! It's suicide, and I can let you die like that! Come on!**

Asuna punched her boyfriend. “Idiot.” He just kissed her still closed fist, and ignored the pain.

 _Kirito is just about done talking. He moves to draw his weapon, and Klein’s guild can’t help but feel nervous. The black swordsmen is one of the most powerful players in the game, and Klein has backed him into a corner. Klein tries to quiet everyone down, but is interrupted by several players teleporting in._ **  
  
Kirito: I guess you were being followed too, huh Klein?  
  
Klein: Uh-huh. It sure looks that way.  
  
Random Guy 1(yes I’m still doing this): It's the Holy Dragon Alliance.  
  
Random Guy 2: They'll do anything for a rare item, no matter how shady. What'll we do?  
  
Kirito: You bastards...  
  
Klein: Screw these guys! Get out of here, Kirito!**

 _Klein directs his guildmates to stand between the other guild and Kirito. No way is one of the most ruthless guilds in the game going to take his friend’s hope at reunion._ **  
  
Kirito: No way.  
  
Klein: Leave 'em to us. We can hold them off. Get going!**

_Once again Kirito is in Klein’s debt. He moves on to the confrontation with the boss, while Klein gets ready for battle._

Kibaou leans over and pats the samurai on the shoulder. “That was a brave move.”

Sinon smiled. “The mark of a true friend.”

Leafa got up to peck the man on the cheek. “Thank you.” She told him simply.

When Kirito noticed the hearts in the older man’s eyes, he got up to clonk him on the head. While the guy complained, he patted him on the shoulder. “Thanks.” Klein’s smile got even bigger.

* * *

 

Kayaba couldn’t remain silent anymore. He turned towards the black swordsman. “You had to have known that item…” He didn’t finish when Kirito raised one of his hands.

“Some part of me knew. I just didn’t want to admit it. Thank you.” Kayaba raised one of his eyebrows in askance. Why on earth would anyone thank him?

“For trying to spare my feelings.” Kirito explained. Kayaba didn’t know how to retort, and the others had no clue to what they were talking about. They turned towards the screen, hoping that the next scene might give them some clues.

 _Kirito comes across the largest tree in the whole forest. He hears the tolling of bells, it’s midnight. A jingling noise can be heard. He looks up to see two streams of lights overhead, and large lump falling towards him. He steps back, and escapes the fallout from the arrival of the mob boss. The monster is some sort of grotesque parody of Santa Claus. It’s covered in red fabric, and has two eyes that move in different directions. The boss has five health bars, and a dangerous axe clutched in its hand._ **  
  
**

**Kirito: Let's do this.**

_With a scream the swordsman leaps towards the monster, just as the screen fades to white._

* * *

 

“Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.” Asuna tells him while turning around to pound on him again. He’s pretty sure she’s crying again, but he too busy enduring the pain to check for sure.

_Klein’s group has come out victorious, but they are bloody tired. Klein can’t even find the energy to stand when he sees Kirito come back from confronting the boss. Kirito’s eyes look dead, and he seems more haunted than ever before. He tosses Klein a small glass ball covered in gold._

**  
Klein: Huh? Kirito, hey! W-Wha?  
  
Kirito: There. That's the revival item.**

_Klein pulls up the item specs._ **  
  
Klein: Let's see... it says it must administer to affected player... within ten seconds?!  
  
Kirito: If someone dies in front of you someday, make sure you use it.**

 _Kirito moves to leave, but Klein grabs his coat. Tears begin to stream down the samurai’s face._ **  
  
Klein: Kirito... Listen. Stay alive, you hear? I don't care how you do it. Just stay alive, to the end!**

**  
Kirito: See you.  
  
**

_Kirito shakes off Klein’s hand, barely acknowledging his words. He leaves more broken than ever._

The real Kirito looks over at Klein. “Did you ever use that revival item?”

“Yeah.” Klein smiles, but to Kirito it looks force. “Came in real handy. Remind me to tell you about it sometime okay?” Kirito nods his understanding. It’s not a story that Klein wants to share with everyone. They go back to watching the screen.

* * *

 

_The scene changes to Kirito slumped over the desk back at the inn where he’s staying. He looks utterly broken. A message alert appears, and Kirito tiredly opens it up. A tiny screen shows up, claiming it’s a gift box from…Sachi? How could that be? She’s dead._

**  
Kirito: Sachi?**

_He clicks on the screen, and a diamond shape appears. It’s a sound box, the only way to make a recording in this world. Sachi must have made this, and gifted it to him for Christmas. He pushes the little button that starts the recording. The diamond started to glow, releasing Sachi’s voice from its confines._ **  
  
Sachi: Merry Christmas, Kirito! By the time you hear this, I'll probably be dead. How can I explain this…let's see... To tell you the truth, I never really wanted to leave the Town of Beginnings. **

_The scene changes to Sachi making the recording on her bedside, talking to the little glowing diamond in her hand._

**And I knew if I fought with an attitude like that, I would end up dying someday. But that's not anyone's fault. That's something I have to deal with. Kirito, ever since that night you found me, you kept telling me I wasn't going to die, no matter what. But what if I got killed anyway? I knew that if I died, you'll blame yourself. That's why I decided to record this for you.**

_The scene changes to another flashback. This time Kirito is messing with his screens with Sachi in the room. She turns to ask him something, but is fascinated with the level number she cans see on his home screen. Suddenly she begins to smile._

**By the way, I know how powerful you really are. Sorry. I sort of peeked when you weren't looking. I thought really hard about why you would hide your level and fight with us, but I never figured it out though. You know what? When I found out how strong you were, you may not understand, but it made me so happy. I was so relieved. So even if I die, promise me you'll go on living, okay, Kirito? Stay alive, so you can see the end of this world, and find out why it was created. Find out why a weakling like me ended up here. Find out the reason you and I met. Please. That's what I wish. Looks like I still have time, so... Seeing how it's Christmas and everything, I'll sing you a song.**

_Sachi begins humming the song for Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer. Her small body swaying with the song. The screen changes to Kirito listening to the cube in the present. He’s hunched over the recording, listening with all of his might. Another flashback reveals Sachi’s final words, and coincidently they are the last two words of the recording as well._ **  
  
Sachi: Anyway, Kirito. I'm so glad that I met you, and that I could be with you... even for a little while.  
Thank you. Goodbye.**

**_Kirito’s tears continue to fall even after the recording ends._ **

The captive audience stare at the screen, and unspoken agreement for a moment of silence pervades. No one knows what to say, even after the credits roll.

* * *

 So that’s it. The most angsty chapter I’ve ever written. This has been the hardest chapter to write, the death scene was almost impossible. So my next chapter definitely needs to be more positive. So next time it’s another Omake, then the harem chapters begin. Lol.

When I began this chapter, I took a look at my polls for the 2nd season watching the series fic. Apparently there’s no love for Recon huh? Now I look back, and he’s gotten a few pity votes. I’m going to take the poll down. I’ve got my cast. Treat yourselves to few digital cookies until my next update okay?

 


	6. Omake 2

Omake 2

Klein had just about enough of respectful silence. He stood up and clapped his hands together. Once everyone was watching, he mustered up the biggest smile he could. “Well…that was horrible.”

Sinon raised an eyebrow. “You have a gift for understatement.”

“Ah, shucks ma’am. I’m not much for speechifying, but I’ve got me an idea.” His bad western accent earned him a few chuckles. He turned serious. “I was thinking that we all need a break, and in the spirit of Sachi we should hold a karaoke tournament.”

Kirito shook his head in bemusement. “Seriously?”

Asuna stood up, and patted her boyfriend’s shoulder. “I think it is a good idea.” She swallowed her jealousy, and put on a smile. “She had a great voice. What better way to honor her memory?” The others easily accepted her encouragement, but Kirito was looking at her discernibly. She squeezed his shoulder to show she was okay. He didn’t need to know about irrational emotion. She would get over it.

Kibaou grunted. “As long as that guy doesn’t sing.” He pointed towards Klein.

“Oi! I’ve got a great voice.” Klein pouted.

Leafa chuckled. “Maybe if you actually sang instead of screamed it wouldn’t be too bad.” She got up and stretched. “I’m all for a little competition.” She grinned predatorily at the group.

Klein took over from there. He set up matches for Kibaou vs Sinon, and Asuna vs Leafa. He tried to get Kayaba to join in, but one icy glare dissuaded him from trying. The winner would go against him in the final instead.

“Giving up the final match for ghost huh?” Sinon couldn’t help but joke.

“Whatever. Just saving the best for last.” He joked before sitting down next to Kirito.

Once the others were occupied, Kirito turned to Klein. “I’m guessing that there’s something you wanted to say?”

“It wasn’t for nothing.” Klein told him, without meeting his eyes. Klein looked straight ahead, keeping up the appearance of being interested. Kirito copied him, pretending to watch the competition. “I’m sorry that the revival item couldn’t bring back Sachi…”

Kirito cut him off. “It was never going to work. I knew that, some part of me always knew that. I just needed something to believe in. I needed some way to pay for my sins.”

“Kirito, without you they never would have made it to that trap. You saved them once, and I am so sorry that you couldn’t do it again. However, it wasn’t your fault. That episode just proves it. You warned them not go to such a challenging dungeon. You tried to stop them from entering the hidden room. You defended them as best you could. The choices they made, was not your fault.”

“Klein, I lied. I lied about who I was. What my real strength was. I even lied about my experience, if I hadn’t…” Klein was the one to interrupt Kirito this time.

“If you had told them, they would have either recoiled from meeting a beater, or followed you around like a couple of sycophants. They wouldn’t have been your friends. Eventually you would have told them, and they would have forgiven you.”

Kirito looked sad, not relieved like Klein hoped. “Can we agree to disagree on that?” He tried to joke, but his smile was heartbreakingly fake.

“Sure.” Klein rubbed his hair in frustration. “But, we’re getting off topic. It wasn’t your fault, and that revival item you tossed away saved us.”

Kirito’s eyes hardened, his protective instincts coming to bear. “What happened?”

Klein took a deep breath. “Do you remember the raid on PKers like Laughing Coffin?”

Kirito laughed. “Remind me to tell you about how that came back to bite us in the ass.”

“Anyway our guild stuck together, targeting people in groups. Right after we subdued one, and we were going back for more. However, they only pretended to go down. As soon as we turned our backs…He stabbed Dale. You remember him right? He was at the congratulatory party.”

Kirito smiled. “The one with the white headband, and a bow in the middle? Last time I saw him, he didn’t look like a zombie.”

Klein laughed, clutching his stomach. “Yeah, that’s the one.” He wiped a tear before continuing on. “I can’t tell you how many times we teased him over choice in accessories. He still wears one, even in real life. Well the Laughing Coffin guy got a dagger right through Dale’s digital heart. His HP dropped so fast, there was no time to stick a potion in him. Issin got the guy in the back, he shattered while I caught my friend. He had already gotten into the red zone before I remembered the little glass orb you had given me. I had kept it for luck. No the real luck was that I even remembered that item when I was so panicked. It took me forever to find it in my inventory. Dale had broken into pixels by the time I found it. I prayed so hard that I could activate the darn thing in time. It was amazing when he just popped back, like nothing had happened.” Klein paused to wipe another tear. “I don’t think anyone else noticed. It was so chaotic. If any of the other guilds noticed, I’m sure we would have gotten a lot of flack for keeping such a lifesaving item for ourselves.”

Kirito was confused. “So why tell me now?”

Klein turned to face his friend. “Because you need to hear how you did save someone. Maybe not the person you wanted to, but without that reckless charge on a boss my friend wouldn’t be here. My entire guild Fuurinkazan wouldn’t be here without you. No one in that entire death game would be here without you. So thank you. Thank you so very much.”

Kirito didn’t know what to say, and Klein needed a minute to compose himself. So the two friends sat in companionable silence for a while. Just watching their friends, and frenemies having a bit of fun. When the preliminary matches were done, Klein grabbed ahold of his friend, and dragged him closer to the screen. “Hey, guys how about one more match before the finals?”

Leafa clapped her hands in delight. “Perfect.” Asuna nodded her head. Even Kibaou was grinning. Klein pushed the sputtering swordsmen front and center. He glared at all of them, but no one came to his rescue.

Klein put one hand on his hip, and pointed to the screen. “Roll it!” Then the two men began singing to the tune of the introduction song. Kirito didn’t give it his all, not a first. He spoke the words for a while, the volume increasing the longer the song played. Klein sang his heart out. When they finished, the room went silent.

Asuna grabbed Kirito’s shoulder. Her face was extremely serious. “That was…AWFUL.” The whole room broke out into laughter. Even Kayaba cracked a smile. Kirito turned the color of a tomato. Klein just grinned, and let the insult roll off his back. Klein hadn’t screamed the lyrics this time, but his voice was pretty rough. Kirito had a nice mellow voice, but he couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket. It was determined that both singers were out, leaving Leafa the karaoke champion.

It was with much lighter hearts that everyone returned to their seats. The red screen was back, and in a couple of seconds the next episode was ready to start.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like we needed a happy moment after the past tragedy. Hopefully the next chapter won't take too long. Hope you all enjoyed the update!


	7. The Black Swordsman

Episode Guide:

**Bold=In Episode Dialogue**

**_'_ ** **_Bold Italics'=In Episode Character Thoughts_ **

_Italics=In Episode Description/Action_

Normal Script=Outside Of The Episode Talking And Action

* * *

 

Klein leaned back and yawned. "So any clue what this next one is about?"

Sinon looks at the title, and muses aloud. "The Black Swordsman…That implies it will involve Kirito somehow."

"Me? Why me? I'm not the only swordsmen in that world?" Kirito pointed out, desperate for some of the attention to be taken off of him."

Sinon raised an eyebrow. Silently indicating that was a stupid question, and he should feel even stupider for forcing her to explain. She ticked off her reasoning with her hand.

Finger one: "This whole series has involved something to do with you since it started. The past episodes can prove that."

Finger two: "You are known in at least 3 different VR MMPORGS as the Black Swordsmen, even if in Gun Gale Online they think you are a girl. That's your fault for playing it up."

Kirito blushed at that comment, and Klein grinned. "Oh? That's a story I'm going to have to hear." The glare that Kirito sent out could've cowed a weaker man, but it just made Klein grin harder. Sinon ignored the idiocy and continued with her countdown.

Finger three: "Kirito attracts trouble like…"

"Hey!" The swordsmen protested.

Asuna elbowed him in the ribs. "You know that's true."

"Name one time." He told his girl-girl that is his friend, while rubbing at his newly acquired sore spot.

wieldingly. The final battle of SAO. Do I need to go on?" Kirito quieted down after that, and Asuna tried not be smug.

Finger Four: "Our mysterious host wants us to see the hero's struggles. That's why they've shown us the first battle, leaving Klein behind, and…" She remains quiet for a moment, before gathering her courage. "The annihilation of the Black Cats."

Kayaba raised one eyebrow. "Isn't that the same as point two?"

Sinon shook her head in denial. "Not really, no. The Black Swordsmen is famous, not really Kirito. Only the leaders of the big guilds, and his friends know the name of the infamous Beater that defeated SAO. It seems our kidnapper wants to learn what makes our swordsman tick. Which brings us to my final point.

Finger Five: "The goal of this whole kidnapping/theater outing is to learn something that will help us against some sort of threat that's coming for Kirito.

"Isn't a so-called 'HERO' not supposed to need help?" Kibaou sneered.

Most of the room bristled, but Leafa was the first to respond. "Everyone needs help at some point or another. Even you." She pointed out.

"What are you talking about girlie?" The orangette shouted. "When have I ever needed help?"

Leafa smirked. "At every boss battle in SAO, especially the early ones." The others laughed while the older man pouted. Meanwhile the episode began to play, much to Kirito's relief.

_The scene opens with a group of adventurers out in a forest type dungeon on floor 35. It's a mixed group of three males and two females. The taller female carries a shield and spear, and seems to be talking down to the only other girl in the group. The shorter of the two females has a familiar blue dragon perched upon their head, and is arguing hotly with the other female about item distribution._

"Hey that's Silica, and her dragon Pina!" Leafa pointed out, bouncing excitedly in her seat. She had wondered when she would see more people she knew from the death game. She stopped back to admire her guildmate for a second. It was strange to see her friend's avatar, so familiar, and yet strange at the same time. If there was one thing she was grateful in this whole mess, it was the opportunity to see the avatars that dominated her friends' lives during the SAO incident. It seemed that Silica had been a beast tamer even back in SAO.

Which was kind of weird really. Wasn't it really hard to tame monsters back in SAO, especially with the risk of death if it failed? Plus now a days there were tons of guides for beast tamers, but that didn't exist during the opening ceremony of SAO. So how did Silica pull that off? And get a rare beast like a dragon? It was really mysterious really.

While Leafa was puzzling things out, Kibaou was more excited to proof that the smug sniper was wrong. "Hah. Looks like your theory doesn't hold up after all. Don't see any black loving tweens in sight."

Sinon kept an eye on the squirming Kirito. "We'll see." She shrugged, not caring to look to that the casual dismissal had enraged the orangette or not. Klein clapped a hand on the man's shoulder to keep him down in his seat. The rest of the room turned their attention back to the screen.

**Rosalia: What are you talking about? Why should we have to share these healing crystals with you? Not all of us have pet lizards with healing powers, you know.**

"Wow, what a bitch!" Klein exclaimed. "I mean she's hot with the red hair, sexy bod, and curves. Her personality sucks though."

Asuna rolled her eyes. "And yet…if she flirted even the tiniest bit, you'd still date her."

"Duh." The pink haired swordsman replied, giving the girl a wink. The females in the room all groaned.

Silica: But you never fight on the front line. So, who are you to talk? You don't need to use any crystals!

Sinon was disgusted. "Those bastards in the back aren't even doing anything. They're just letting this pointless fight happen."

"It's not pointless." Kirito chipped in. Everyone turned to look at the teen, quiet expectation in their gazes. He had been too quiet since the beginning of the episode, must mean what he had to say was pretty important to break his silence.. "Those crystals can mean the difference between life and death out in a dungeon. Silica has every right to fight for a portion of the crystals."

Sinon waggled her index finger at the swordsmen. "I'm not arguing that. It should be a given that everyone shares in the crystal bounty. If there's not enough, then frontliners get first dibs." Kirito nodded at that, the contention between the two disappearing.

Rosalia: Of course I do. You're the popular one around here, Silica. I can't expect the boys to help me when I need it, unlike you.

Knight Guy: Oh, come on. It's not like that.

Asuna pounded her fist against the table. "I hate girls like that! Pretending to be helpless, in order to get everyone to do their bidding. It's manipulative and wrong!" Kirito silently wrapped a hand around her fist. Asuna closed her eyes and slumped back into her seat. Kirito didn't let go until the tension had drained out of the girl's shoulders.

_Meanwhile on screen, Silica has had enough. She shuts down all of her screens, ending the party item sharing._

Silica: Fine! I don't care. You want my items, take 'em. But I'm never going to team up with you again! I know, there is a ton of other parties out there who'd love to have me on their side.

_The angry girl stalks off into the depths of the forest. The rest of the party call out for the girl to stop. Except for Rosalia, who seems to be smiling in victory._

Knight Guy: Wait! Don't go! Silica...

"NOOOO!"

The entire room of observers has erupted into chaos. Everyone except for Kirito and Kayaba had jumped out of their seats to scream at the screen. Of course that didn't stop the character from continuing on, so they turned on each other.

"Doesn't she know how dangerous that is?"

"Will she be okay?"

"Is she suicidal?"

"So stupid! How does expect it to make it out of there alone?"

"Enough!" Kirito shouts, slamming both fists on the table. That finally seems to get everyone's attention. "Silica is okay. We just saw her last night? Right?" He looks around the room for confirmation. The members of his guild nod.

"Okay then, that tells us that she does make it out this okay. She survives. Was it a stupid move? Yes, yes it was, but she survived. She was with us last night, she was at school today, and tomorrow when we make it back to the real world she'll still be there. Alright?" He glares until he sees people take their seats back.

Kayaba watches with a critical eye. He remembers this floor. "I'll be curious to see how the young beast tamer makes it out of this." Every head swivels towards him. "This particular dungeon has some particulary strong mobs that come out at night." The rest of the room pales.

"Not helping." Kirito grumbles at the inventor. "Not helping at all."

* * *

_Sure enough, the Silica on screen is in trouble. After leaving the party the girl had gotten lost, and stumbled upon some high level monsters. Three large ape like creatures had the girl surrounded. Pina shrieked out a warning! Silica ducked under the large club headed her way, rolling almost into the range of another angry ape. She just barely jumps away from another attack. After gaining a bit of distance, Pina finally manages to breathe some healing magic onto the girl. Silica's health bar edges out of yellow, and back into the green zone. It's not enough health to reengage with the mobs. She reaches into her pouch for more healing items, but they're not there._

**Silica: I'm out of healing crystals!**

_While the girl is distracted, one of the apes manages to hit the girl. Silica is sent flying into a tree. Her dagger flies out of her hand. Silica glances up to see that her health has declined into the red zone. She looks around, but can't find her weapon. One ape monster stomps her way, club raised above its head._

"Are we sure she survives this?" Klein said from between grit teeth. Kirito nods grimly. Most of the others are tense as well. Afraid for one of their dearest frineds.

_Silica looks on with fear as the club descends her way. Suddenly a blur of blue feathers gets in between the weapon and the girl. It's Pina. The blue dragon is sent crashing into the forest floor. Silica snaps out of her stupor and runs to the dragon. The poor thing is breathing heavily, and Silica watches as her companion's health bar diminishes._

**Silica: Pina! Pina! Pina! Pina... Pina... Pina... Pina! Pina!**

Kayaba stands up from the table. He doesn't even care that his chair clatters to the floor. "Impossible." He asserts while pointing to the screen. "I didn't design any of the tameable A.I.s to do that."

Leafa just blinks at the usually calm man's loss of control. "What? But Pina has always done stuff like that in Alfheim. I think he pretty much only learned how to breathe fire, so he could distract a mob monster from attacking her when she's down."

Kayaba gestures even more frantically. "But that shouldn't be possible! I didn't design for them to be able to learn new skill, or to take hits for their masters. They're not smart enough to do that, even in the pathetic copies my competitors have developed since that. They just don't have those kind of capabilities."

"Your A.I.s evolved." Kirito said quietly, but with authority. The frazzled scientist met the eyes of the teen, no, now he was the black swordsman. The usually stoic gaze now burning with emotion. "Even back then I saw many of the NPCs and monsters acting differently to what their programming should have been allowed. A few prominent examples come to mind."

Kirito and Asuna shared significant looks.

Finally, Kirito tuned back to Kayaba. "I fought with several A.I.s that I could have sworn were humans, if I couldn't see their cursors. There were a couple that I know developed emotions, but they're not there anymore, are they? You destroyed them almost all of them, when you let your creation crumble when your game failed."

"I didn't…" Kayaba tried to defend, but Kirito cut him off.

"No you couldn't have known. You were too busy manipulating your thousands of abductees, and devising traps for the Assault Team. You didn't have time to monitor the lives you inadvertently created in Aincraid. Your loss, but we all certainly gained from your negligence." Kayaba tried to get the teen to elaborate on that, but the swordsman remained tight lipped. Kayaba reluctantly picked his seat back up, and turned back to the screen.

_Silica picked her friend's glowing body, just as her friend broke into thousands of glowing pixels. Tears gathered in the girl's eyes, and she froze in her grief. The three apes took advantage of the girl's grief, more than ready to keep attacking. Silica turned towards the monsters, unable to move any more that. All hope seemed lost. Then all three monsters shattered._

_Silica could only stare as her savior appeared, glowing sword in hand. A young swordsman in black, stared at her from across the clearing._

Kibaou leans back and groans. "Of course the 'HERO' would show up."

Sinon smirked at being proven right. The others relaxed significantly as the danger on screen decreased.

Which meant Klein could immediately begin teasing again. "Why so serious Kirito-kun?"

Kirito frowned at his friend. "It was a serious time."

Leafa elbowed her brother. "What he means onii-chan, is if you're going to the act the part of a knight in shining armor, your expression should match."

Kirito made a face. "I would hate to wear shining armor. The Blood Knights uniform was bad enough." He looked up confusedly when the others laughed.

Leafa sighed, and ran her face down exasperatedly. "Oh onii-chan."

_Silica comes to herself. She scrambles back to the spot where her friend fell. All that's left is a glowing feather. She gently cradles the item in her hands. Tears begin to fall._

**Silica: Pina! Pina...Don't leave me all alone here... Pina!**

_The mysterious swordsmen sheathes his blade. He kneels down next to the distraught girl._

**Kirito: What's that feather?**

Silica: It's Pina... My best friend...

Kirito: You're one of those beast tamers, aren't you? I'm sorry. If I'd got here sooner, I could've saved your friend.

_Tears began to fall again, but Silica stubbornly shakes her head in denial._

Silica: No, it's all my fault. I was stupid to think I could make it through the forest on my own. Thank you for saving me. You did what you could.

Asuna sighs dramatically. "It was very stupid, but I can sympathise." She smiled wryly. "I know that I've let my temper get the best of me before."

Kirito nods sagely at this admission, and Asuna punches him. The others laugh.

Kirito: That feather…Check and see if it has an item name attached to it.

Silica: Huh?

_Silica taps her finger against the glowing finger. A pop up screen appears, naming the item 'PINA'S Heart.' Silica begins to tear up again._

Kirito: Hey, don't cry. That means Pina's heart's still here, there's a chance you can revive it.

Silica: No way! Really?

Kirito: Mmhmm. On the south side of Floor 47, there's a field dungeon called the Hill of Memories. I heard somewhere that the flower growing at the top can revive familiars.

"Well that explains that." Klein said, a smile appearing on the man's face. When the rest of the room looked at him expectantly, he explained further. "I mean when we all met up in Alfheim, Pina was still there? Saved to Silica's account? That couldn't be if the dragon wasn't revived."

"True." Leafa bounced a little in her seat. "That means everything turns okay." She told the room with a blinding smile.

Silica: Floor 47, huh.

**Kirito: I'd offer to go get it for you. All you'd have to do is pay for the trip. The thing is, the flower won't bloom unless the familiar's master's there.**

Silica: Thank you so much for telling me about it. If I work hard to raise my level, then someday I could...

Kirito: Sure, but there is a time limit of three days to revive it.

"Damn it." Klein rolled his eyes. "There's always a catch."

**Silica: No way...It's all my fault. I'm so sorry, Pina...**

Kirito: It's okay. You have three days. Take this equipment. It should boost you five or six levels. And if I tag along, I'm sure everything will work out.

_The mysterious swordsmen pulls up his menus to begin a trade. A screen appears in front of Silica offering several rare items to boost her levels. Her savior is offering her a fortune for nothing in return. More importantly he's offering help to saver her most beloved friend._

Silica: But, why would you do all this for me?

_The swordsmen freezes. Slowly he turns back towards the girl, one hand hiding half of his face._

**Kirito: I'll tell you, but only if you promise not to laugh, okay?**

Silica: I promise I won't.

_The hand moves to cover his entire face, thus hiding his embarrassment as he relates his secet._

Kirito: All right, it's because you look like my little sister.

"What!" Leafa screams. She jumps out of her seat, and grabs the surprised Kirito. The boy is too shocked to stop the girl from shaking him. "We look nothing alike. I love her to death. She's one of my dearest friends, like ever, but we do not look even remotely similar."

Leafa continues to shake her sibling, punctuating each point with another shake. If she notices his glazed eyes, she pretends not to. "She's short. I am abnormally tall, especially in Alfheim. She's a natural brunette in both VR and real life. I fluctuate between black and blonde. She has ruby eyes. Mine are boring black in reality, and vivid emerald in virtual reality. She's sweet and biddable. Anyone that annoys me gets to feel the end of my sword, and that's true in both realities. SO HOW THE HELL ARE WE ALIKE?"

The enraged girl was practically vibrating with tension, but she had to wait for Kirito's brain to reboot. Even then he didn't react in anger. Instead he gripped his sister's hand, giving it a small squeeze. One side of Kirito's mouth quirked up into that smirk that still made her heart throb. "It wasn't looks. It was the way you two act. Maybe Silica wears her heart on her sleeve more, but you both care deeply for others. Neither one of you are afraid to shed tears, but still keep your manners. Me? I tear into everyone and everything when my world crashes around my ears. You two though? Your hearts could literally be ripped out of your chests, and you'd still be checking to make sure everyone else around you was okay. I admire that about you, always have."

Leafa teared up. It just wasn't fair! How could he say things like that, and be so damn sincere about it! She was still getting over her bleeding crush, and then he goes and reminds her of all the reasons she loves the idiot. So not cool. She looked over at Asuna, who was watching the proceedings with a smile on her face. Not a single doubt, or hint of jealousy at all. She couldn't do this. Asuna was her friend. Her brother's love.

Not her.

So she put on her best fake smile, and thrust her idiot towards his girlfriend. It was okay. She could do this. "Here. Take this numbskull back, before he does something even more idiotic."

Asuna caught her oniichan with a laugh. Setting the off balance teen back into his chair. Still having no clue how close Leafa was to revealing her real feelings. Her mask was up, and already deflecting. Becoming more settled as she listened to others laugh at her brother's plight. Good. No one else had noticed. Leafa settled back in her seat, her heart under lock and key.

Silica: Hehehe...I'm sorry. Um, I know this isn't enough col to pay you back, but...

_Silica opened up a menu to transfer some money, but Kirito caught her hand. He wasn't interested in that kind of compensation._

Kirito: No, it's cool. Besides, it works with why I'm here. We'll be helping each other out.

Silica: Huh? Okay then, my name's Silica.

Kirito: My name's Kirito. I guess we'll be working together for a little while.

* * *

_The scene changes to a city scape still on the 35_ _th_ _floor, the town called Mishe. Big enough to house several of the middle range adventurers, trying to get stronger. Silica and Kirito make their way through, when they are accosted by two familiar background characters._

**Pink Guy: Hey look! It's Silica!**

Formerly Handsome Guy: It took you long time to get back. We were getting worried.

Silica: Um...

Pink Guy: You wanna team up with us? We'll take you wherever you want to go!

Sinon snorted. "Yeah…like that's not entirely obvious what they're really after."

"Agreed." Both Asuna and Leafa chimed in.

Kibaou just seemed puzzled. "Haven't we seen those two bastards before?"

Kirito scratched at his cheek in embarrassment. "I don't even remember this conversation, but those two do seem familiar.

"They were not part of the Assault Team." Kayaba asserted with authority.

"Then where…" Kirito pondered, before noticing Klein fidgeting in his seat. "Klein?"

"I know them." He stammered out. "Well kind of. We hung out sometimes. Not a lot." He desperately pointed out. "But sometimes when…" His mouth clicked shut when he caught Asuna glaring at him.

The rest of the occupants fidgeted anxiously, as the hazel haired girl's gaze grew icy. An uncomfortable chill descended upon the room. "They were part of the fanclubs weren't they?" It might have been phrased as a question, but it was clear she already knew the answer. The room became even colder. It might have been crossing game genres, but Kirito checked to make sure that the angry girl hadn't summoned Shiva the Ice Goddess in her rage. Nope, no blue skinned summon in the room, just one very angry swordswoman. Kirito edged his chair a little further away, out of the line of fire.

Klein gulped. "M-m-maybe, but weren't the ringleaders or anything. We never went on any of the pan…" He didn't finish that word, because he was pretty sure Asuna was ready to eviscerate him. "The raids. We never did any of that. We respected our idols privacy." Asuna raised on elegant eyebrow. "I swear! Cross my heart hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." He crosses his heart for extra measure.

The weird saying perplexes the rest of the group, but it makes Kibaou sputter. "Dude! I should have known you were a Brony!"

Klein smiles slyly. "Takes one to know one." Which makes Kibaou even more incoherent, and finally coaxes a laugh from the icy Asuna. The tense atmosphere abates, and the screen begins to play again.

_Panicked, Silica grabs Kirito's arm. She pushes the swordsman in front of her would be suitors, making him into her human shield._

Silica: That's really nice of you to offer, but...Well, I've sort of already agreed to be in a party with him, so...'Kay, later. Bye!

_Without another word, she drags the clueless teen off with her. Kirito looks back at the disgruntled faces of the fans. With a pointed look, he silently asks Silica to explain._

**Silica: I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that.**

Kirito: Didn't know you had fans. You must be popular.

_Silica stops in her tracks. Kirito turns around in confusion. The hopeful expression is gone, and on the girl's face now only bears shame._

Silica: No...They don't take me seriously. They want me to be their mascot. Maybe they're right. Maybe that's all I'm good for. It's just that they called me Dragon Tamer, and I guess...It went to my head.

_Unable to take more of the girl berating herself, Kirito reached out. He patted the despondent Silica and smiled when she looked up._

Kirito: Don't worry about it. We'll make it in time. Promise.

_Smiling through the tears, the girl agreed._

Silica: Okay. Do you live around here, Kirito?

Kirito: I'm on Floor 50. It's kinda far, so I was thinking of getting a room for tonight.

Kayaba grew suspicious at that tidbit of information. "Most of the higher level blacksmiths live on that floor. The ones that usually curry to the needs of the Assault Team. Which raises an important point, what would such a high level player be doing on such a level that is at least 15 levels below where they live?"

Kirito fidgeted when everyone turned their gaze towards him. "I had my reasons. Okay?"

"Mind sharing what those reasons might be Onii-chan?" Leafa said with a pout. Kirito ignored her, in fact he ignored everyone's pointed questions. Eventually they gave up, and turned back to the screen.

_Meanwhile Silica is desperate to distract her savior from her past behavior. Finally she spots a familiar eatery. She points it out, before noticing her former party blocking the way._

Silica: If you stay, I'll take you out for some cheesecake. It's really good over there.

Rosalia: Well, if it isn't Silica! Wow. You made it out of the forest alive. Good for you, girl.

_The rest of the party waves awkwardly. Reminded of her poor decisions, Silica stares down at the ground._

Kirito: Something wrong?

Silica: Oh no, nothing.

Rosalia: Hang on. What happened to your little friend, the lizard. Did he run away?

_That makes Silica look up. She glares at the red head, her courage back._

Silica: Pina died saving me. But, I'm gonna get Pina back!

Rosalia: Really? I guess you'll be heading for the Hill of Memories then. I wonder if you'll be able to clear it at your level.

_Kirito steps in between the two females._

Kirito: Of course, she will. It's not that difficult to level.

Rosalia: Oh god, this girl seduced another player. No, it's not difficult, but you don't look that strong.

Kirito: Come on.

**Rosalia: Humph.**

_Kirito shrugs the other woman off, and pushes Silica into leaving. The duo refuse to look back. Rosalia snorts, before a devious smirk appears on her face._

"I don't like that smirk. Not one bit." Klein complains. Most of the other occupants nod in agreement.

* * *

_The scene changes to the inside of a restaurant. Silica and Kirito have commandeered their own table. Despite the generous portions on the table, Silica still can't calm down._

**Silica: Why would she have to be so mean?**

Kirito: Well, is Sword Art Online your first MMO?

Silica: Uh-huh.

Kirito: A lot of people's personalities change when they play games online. And some actually like playing the game as the bad guy. For example, you see how our cursors are green.

_The camera shifts to Silica's point of view. A little green diamond floats above Kirito's head. Silica glances around. All of the other players in the room have green cursors too. The ones above the NPCs are a different color thought._

**Kirito: Well, if you commit a crime against another player, your cursor's gonna turn orange. Then they become what's called a 'red player' - the worst, also known as player killers. They're all about murder.**

Silica: They kill other players?!

_Kirito nods solemnly. Silica is shocked of the implications this brings to light._

Kirito: In a normal game, they could've had some fun playing the bad guy. But Sword Art Online isn't normal. And it's definitely not a game.

_Silica glances down at Kirito's hands. They're squeezing the cup so tightly, that the item's durability meter is starting to go down._

Silica: Kirito...

Kirito: I'm sorry.

Silica: Well, I think you're good.

_Silica stands up and grabs Kirito's hands. She looks up at the surprised swordsman's face, her own expression earnest._

**Silica: ...I mean, you saved me after all.**

Kirito: Looks like you cheered me up instead. Thank you, Silica.

_Kirito smiles, and Silica's face turns the color of tomatoes. She quickly lets go, and moves back. Her movements are uncoordinated and exaggerated. She desperately harangs waiter NPCs to distract from her burning face._

Silica: Well, where the heck is our cheesecake already? Excuse me, our dessert hasn't shown up yet!

Asuna twitches at her guildmate's infatuation. She had never noticed Silica crushing on her boyfriend before, but sometimes… she stared. Not that Kirito noticed, but maybe she should think about introducing the girl to some other boys. Just in case.

* * *

_The scene changes to Silica relaxing in bed, sans her clothing or Pjs. Clad in only her underwear, the young girl has no idea that others can see her state of undress._

"What the hell!" Kibaou explodes, but no one is really paying attention to him.

Kirito has covered his eyes, but keeps peeking through them. Trying not to see, but judge when it's all over. Klein is trying to take a better look, but the three females of the room are cockblocking him. They immediately moved in between the boys and the screen, blocking the view. Kibaou has turned completely around, but his flush is evident on the back of his neck. Kayaba is blushing too, but he's still trying to appear aloof. His eyes are trained away from the screen, but otherwise he hasn't moved.

The girls are glaring at the male half of the room. When Asuna notices Klein's interest, she takes off her shoe and throws it. Klein falls back with a grunt from the direct hit to his nose. He doesn't get back up.

"Kirito did you know about this?" Asuna demands.

The swordsman glances up at the hazel headed teen, but hides back under his hand when she glares at him. "No of course not. I didn't…I don't…I can't control the screen." He can feel her glare intensify, even if he doesn't dare look up again.

Sinon is more suspicious. "This isn't the first time you've played the peeping tom." She reminds him.

Kirito forgets not to look in his panic. He holds up his hands in surrender, and shakes his head no vigourusly. All three girls glare at him now. Asuna picks up her other shoe, and Kirito finally gets the clue. He presses his forehead into the table, his arms protecting his head from incoming projectiles. His protests continue, even if they are slightly muffled by the table. "No. No. No. I swear that they were all accidents, misunderstandings, all of them!"

"All of them?" Leafa says with narrowed eyes. By this time Kirito is sweating buckets.

Silence descends on the room. No one moves a muscle, and the screen remains frozen. They are at a stalemate.

Klein finally has his brain reboot from the trauma. He doesn't move from the floor, but he holds up his hand to get everyone's attention. "You know, this might be the blood loss, but I don't think the show has moved since all the drama began. It probably won't, until we are all watching again."

The males hardly dare to breathe, while the girls debate their options. Reluctantly the girls move away from the screen. Asuna retrieves her shoe, but ignores Klein when he gets back up. Leafa and Sinon sit back down. Asuna moves back towards her seat, but she has one last thing to say.

Her fist crashes into the table, getting the room's attention. "We never speak of this again. There is to be no ogling. This scene never happened. Clear."

Kibaou gulped. "Crystal." This seemed to finally the calm the enraged girl enough to resume her seat.

Klein leans over to whisper at Kirito. "Your girlfriend has hair thin trigger."

Kirito nods distractedly, too busy watching Asuna to notice the girlfriend assumption.

_The girl on screen flops back onto her bed, one arm shielding her face. She thinks back on her day._

**Silica: 'I wonder if he'd laugh if I told him I wanted to talk some more.'**

_Suddenly she hears a knock at her door. A familiar voice calls through the door._

Kirito: Silica, you still awake?

Silica: Ki-Kirito?

Asuna glares at the swordsman. "I thought you didn't see anything?!"

Kirito throws up his hands to ward off attack. "I didn't! I swear!"

Kirito: I forgot to tell you some stuff about Floor 47. But it can wait till tomorrow.

_The teen on screen starts to move away, but Silica gets up hurriedly to stop him. She doesn't even notice her attire before she is tearing across the room._

Silica: No, now's fine! Actually, I was just thinking I should ask you about...

_Silica has just touched the door knob, when she glances down. Her face turns crimson. The scene picks up with Silica now in a dressing gown, sitting the bed. The on-screen Kirito is busyily arranging the room, not noticing the girl's blush._

**Silica: 'That was so close.'**

"See?" Kirito points out to the still glaring Asuna. She lets off a huff, and that finally allows Kirito to relax. He narrowly escaped death once again.

Kirito: Uh, what's up? Something wrong?

Silica: No, nothing. What's that thing do, Kirito?

Kirito: It's a Mirage Sphere.

_Kirito has set up a strange spherical device on a table, with two chairs. He presses a button, and the top floats several feet in the air. A blue beam of light streams out of the top to the base. Silica looks on with awe as the beam breaks apart into thousands of strings. Then those strings colasce into a three dimensional map of Aincraid._

Silica: It's pretty.

_The map narrow its focus to floor 47. A large orange pillar looms in the distance. It's the tower dungeon that houses the boss necessary to defeat to move onto the next floor. Luckily Kirito points out a route that is very large distance away from the most dangerous part of the floor._

Kirito: This is the town area of Floor 47. And that's the Hill of Memories. I was thinking if we take this route, we can... Hm?

Silica: What's wrong?

Kirito: Shh! Who's there?!

_Kirito abruptly leapt up from his seat. He ran out into the hallway, just in time to see a cloaked figure jump over the stair railing to escape. It's too late. The eavesdropper is gone. Silica follows him out, perplexed at what just happens.._

Silica: Um, who was it?

Kirito: Someone that was listening at the door.

Silica: But they can't. I mean, you can't hear through a door unless you knock first.

Kirito: But if your listening skill is high enough, you can. It takes practice. Not that many players have it.

Silica: Why would they want to listen to us?

_Kirito doesn't answer. Instead both players turn back towards the closed door. Kirito's eyes harden, and he grits his teeth._

Kayaba perks up at the scene. Initially he had thought the episode would be a waste of time, but if someone was interested enough in the proceedings to hire a spy…Well there might be something there of interest after all. "Do we get answer to the mystery Kirito-kun?"

Kirito responds with a sarcastic smirk, but doesn't say anything more. Which is fine, that small tell was enough to relay that he would be getting answers soon enough. The mad inventor settled back into seat.

* * *

_The location on screen has switched again. Kirito and Silica step out of a blue gate, and into a huge garden of flowers. Petals dance upon the air. It's stunning._

**Silica: Wow! This place is like a dream!**

Kirito: I know. The whole floor is covered in flowers. That's why they call it the Flower Garden.

_Silica dances over to take a closer look at the flowers. A ladybug takes off from the flower she was observing. She follows the bug's path, and observes several happy couples frolicking through the flowers._

Silica: Uh, couples...

Kirito: Silica?

_Silica blushes, and tries to hide it from her bodyguard._

Silica: What?! Nothing! Sorry to keep you waiting.

Kirito: What's wrong?

Silica: Uh, nothing, nothing at all.

Asuna clenches her teeth. She's really, really, REALLY trying not to get upset. Sure her boyfriend is in a romantic setting with another girl. Who may or may not be crushing on him. Of course the block head is too dense to notice anything. But still…

Kirito frowns as he notices that Asuna is upset. He takes her hand to help calm her down. She retaliates by squeezing too hard. She feels vindicated when he winces, but doesn't let go.

_Kirito grows impatient with her spazzing. He follows one path out of the residential zone, and Silica waits for a moment before following._

Kirito: Come on.

Silica: Okay.

* * *

_The duo continues on the route to Hill of Memories, when Kirito unexpectedly brings them to a stop over a bridge. He holds a large blue crystal to Silica._

**Silica: What's that for?**

Kirito: If anything bad happens while we're in here, I'm gonna tell you to warp out, okay? When I do, use this crystal. You can jump to any town with it.

Silica: But...

Kirito: No "buts," use it.

"Dude! How much do you make to be able to give all that stuff away?" Klein asked while ticking off the perks the swordsman had given Silica. "There was the boots, the coat, a ring, new equipment, and that crystal must have set you back quite a bit. How could you afford all that?"

"Umm…" Kirito paused to look around, gaging everyone's interest. Damn. They were all looking. There was no way out of it. "I mean most of it was loan."

However, Asuna knew him to well. She raised one elegant eyebrow, and Kirito admitted defeat.

The swordsman sighed, before correcting his testimony. "Okay, technically I never asked for the stuff back. I just considered it recompense for all the trouble I dragged her into."

"What trouble?" Sinon asked, but Kirito just shrugged.

"If I'm right, then this will just show you all anyway." Kirito pointed out.

_Silica stares at the crystal, and then at Kirito's determined stare. She can tell he's 100% serious about this. So she acquiesces with grace, taking the crystal._

Silica: I understand.

Kirito: Good. Let's get going. If we take this path, it'll lead us right to the Hill of Memories.

_Silica nods, and the two continue on their quest. They walk in companionable silence. That is until Silica's curiousity gets the better of her._

Silica: Um, Kirito...

**_(Screams)_ **

_Long vines twine over Silica's legs. A huge green bulb appears out of the flowers. The vines constrict, and throw the girl off balance. They fling her high into the air, dangling head down over the large bulb. Green petals release, revealing a giant venus fly-trap monster. A giant mouth rips open from the center of the plant type mob. If the duo don't act quickly, Silica is going to be eaten._

**Kirito: Calm down! That thing's really weak.**

_Silica is panicking. Her skirt is about to overturn, and she's desperately trying to keep from revealing too much. One hand keeps her skirt in place, the other holds her dagger. She tries to hit one of the vines holding her captive, but her reach is too small._

Silica: Oh, Kirito, save me! But don't look! Save me! But don't look!

Kirito: That'll be... difficult.

_The embarrassed swordsman covers his eyes, but not completely. Just enough to give the illusion that he isn't looking._

Asuna gives Kirito's hand a really hard squeeze. With a pinch for extra measure, before letting go. He winces and waves the hurt hand to shake out the pain.

He tries to explain. "What was I supposed to do? Turn my back on a monster that could have killed her, or myself?" Asuna pointedly doesn't reply to that logic.

Silica: Darn you! Put me down... now!

_Silica has finally had enough. She swings herself towards one of the vines, and slashes it. Finally free, she ques up a sword skill that digs into the plant's humongous bulb. The monster implodes into pixels. The dagger user gracefully lands on her feet._

Silica: Did you see anything?

Kirito: Not really.

Asuna punches Kirito in the face. When he lands on the ground, a little of her irritation abates. Kirito picks himself off, and regains his seat. No one makes a comment.

_Both on screen characters blush, and try to find ways to distract themselves. They continue the quest, talking about anything and everything that doesn't involve what just happens. Silica finally works up the nerve to ask the question that the monster had interrupeted._

Silica: I hope you don't mind me asking, but...What's your sister like?

Leafa perked up with that. Could this be the answer to how on earth, her Onii-chan saw similarities between herself and the midget on screen?

**Kirito: Why do you wanna know?**

Silica: Well, you said I looked like her. I know it's not polite to ask about your real life, but...What's she like?

Kirito: I called her my little sister, but she's really my cousin.

Silica: Huh?

Several of the other occupants look back and forth between the two siblings. The similarities seem obvious to them. Were they sure they weren't siblings. When Leafa started to blush, Kirito glared at the more perceptible gawkers. Fearing for the lives, the staring stopped.

Kirito: We were raised like brother and sister since we were babies, so I doubt she even knows. But I know. And I guess that's the reason I avoided her. Our grandfather is really strict. When I was eight, he made us take classes at a local kendo dojo. But after a couple years, I stopped going. Grandpa beat the hell out of me for that.

Silica: That's awful.

"True." Leafa agreed. She picked up her brother/cousin/special person's hand. She gave him a gentle squeeze, which he returned with a bonus smile. "But we got our revenge. Never expected a girl to win a championship, did he?"

Kirito: Anyway, then my sister stood up for me and told him to stop. She said she'd train hard for both of us. And she did. She trained really hard. She even made it to the nationals.

Silica: She did? How awesome!

Kirito: Yeah...I've always felt guilty for putting her through that. I wouldn't doubt it if she hates me.

"Never!" Leafa emphasized. When Kirito blushed, she poked him in the cheek. "Aww, how cute!" He batted her hand away, but that didn't stop her from trying again. Thus began a poking war, which escalated to tickling, and verbal insults. Just like old times. Even Asuna was cracking a smile by the time the two of them settled down.

**Kirito: God knows she could've been doing something else. Maybe that's why I wanted to help you. In a weird way, it makes me feel like I'm making amends.**

**Silica: If you don't mind me saying, you're wrong. I don't think she hates you at all. She wouldn't work that hard for you if she didn't like you. Promise. And I bet she even loves kendo.**

_Surprised at the kind words, Kirito smiles. A little bit of hope brightens up his expression._

**Kirito: There you go again, making me feel better. Maybe you're right. Man, I hope so.**

Kirito bites his lip, and glances at his sister. She makes eye contact, and tilts her head in that familiar way she has since forever. He hesitates before going for it. After all it's now, or never. "Did you ever regret it? Not being able to choose another hobby or sport like all of our other classmates?"

Leafa blinks, before letting out a small smile. "Of course not. Kendo's always been fun for me. Although…" She looks sly at her big brother. "I wouldn't mind a more challenging rival. That last match wasn't really satisfying." She had to hold back a laugh at the way Kirito grimaced. Although she was kinda being serious. Even during his rehabilitation, her Onii-chan had put up a surprisingly good fight. She wondered if she could entice him back into practicing with her again.

_During the emotional exchange, Kirito and Silica make their way through the monster ridden gardens. Clip after clip is shown of the small party working side by side to clear out mobs. Silica is the one on the front lines, aggressively going after the attacking monsters. Kirito acts as support and provides tips on how to better engage the beasts crossing their path. Silica even manages to gain several levels. It's heartwarming to see the two grow closer. However in a moment of distraction, Silica steps onto a trap._

**Silica: Ki-Kirito!**

_A giant sea urchin like monster surges from the ground. Pink tentacles surround the girl. One of the tentacles slides over Silica's cheek, looking like it tried to lick her. Silica is completely stuck, with no way to reach her dagger. Luckily Kirito has already started a sword skills. With one slash, he destroys the monster. Silica falls to the ground with a thump._

Asuna and Leafa shudder. It's always terrible to be caught by a tentacle monster, virtual or not. Sinon though, decides enough is enough. She gets right into Kayaba's face, and demands some answers.

"What the hell? Why do you nerds always have to ruin a perfectly game by adding some perverted monstronsity just to get a little fan service?"

Kayaba blinked owlishly. Not at all perturbed by the icy glare Sinon leveled at him. Instead he spoke down to her. Slowly. Like he was talking to tempermental child. "I. DID. NOT. DESIGN. THAT." He pointed at the screen. "THAT. WAS. . MY. PROGRAMMERS. DESPITE. MY. OBJECTIONS. OR. GOOD. TASTE." Satisfied, the inventor turned away from the angry girl. Sinon snorted, still unsure on whether to believe him or not. When Kayaba continued to ignore her, she sat back down with a huff.

**Silica: Owie...Is that reviving flower around here?**

_The girl pointed to an alter a little further away, and at the end of the path. Kirito nodded._

Kirito: Yeah, over there! Go ahead. Pick it up.

_Silica need no more prompting. She ran to the stone, which began to glow when she got close enough. A small white flower blossomed before her very eyes. She hesitated to pick it up. She looked back at the swordsman, who gave her an encouraging smile. Gathering her courage, she picked the bloom. A small tab popped up, indicating that she had just gained the item called the Pneuma Flower._

Silica: You sure it'll bring Pina back to life?

Kirito: Uh-huh.

Silica: I'm so glad.

Kirito: There is a bunch of strong monsters lurking around here. Let's revive it when we get back to town. I'm sure Pina would want it that way.

Silica: Okay.

"That's odd." Klein looked over at his friend, who was trying to avoid meeting his eyes. "Wouldn't you want to revive the dragon right away? It can use healing magic, thus giving our girl a little more protection." Klein grew concerned when Kirito was still refusing to look at him.

"I had my reasons, okay?" The teen said softly. Which did little to assuage the worries of the group. His friends all exchanged glances. What had gotten into their Black Swordsman?

* * *

_The images have changed again. Now the duo has returned back to the bridge, except Kirito is wary. He clasps Silica's shoulder to stop her._

**Silica: Is something wrong?**

Kirito: Whoever's hiding out there, come out now!

 

_A familiar red head moves out of the trees. She stops to pose provactively._

**Silica: Rosalia?**

Rosalia: If you saw through my hiding skill so easy, your detection skill must be really high, swordsman. Ooh, it looks like you were successful getting your hands on the Pneuma Flower. Congratulations.

_Rosalia's expression changes. All her previous fake friendliness evaporates. She sneers as she makes her demands._

**Rosalia: Now, hand it over before you get hurt.**

Silica: What are you talking about?

Kirito: No one's handing anything over, Rosalia. Not to you, or the orange guild. Or should I say Titan's Hand? You're their leader, right?

Rosalia: Nice...

Silica: But Rosalia's cursor is green.

Kirito: It's an easy trick. The green members find their victims, then they lure them straight to the orange players for the ambush. That was one of your pals last night eavesdropping on us, wasn't it?

Kayaba leans back with a smirk. It was all coming together. "Clever." It's one of the highest compliments he's ever given. It reminds him on why the Black Swordsman was on the few players he considered a rival.

**Silica: Then, the reason you were in that party with me and the others was to...**

Rosalia: How perceptive. I was observing their strength, watching them earn all that beautiful money.

_Silica visibly tenses as Rosalia licks her lips with greed. Who could've guessed such an evil person lurked behind her façade? Rosalia seems to delight in freaking Silica out._

**Rosalia: You were who I was excited about and I was so sad when you left the party. But then you told me you were getting a rare item. What I want to know is, if you knew about us, why did you bring her here? Are you dumb? Or does she have you wrapped around her finger?**

Kirito: Nope. You're wrong both times. See, I've been looking all over for you, Rosalia.

Rosalia: What are you talking about?

Kirito: Remember ten days ago, you attacked a guild called the Silver Flags? The leader survived, four didn't.

Rosalia: Oh, the losers with no money...

Kirito: Their leader went back and forth, from the warp-point to the front lines, morning till night. And with tears in his eyes, he begged everyone he met to avenge his dead friends. But he didn't want you killed. No, he wanted you to go to prison. Do you have any idea how he felt?

The occupants in the room grow somber. There were many trajedis that took place in the death game called SAO. However, that story had be ranked up pretty high amongst the worst ones.

Rosalia: Can't say I do. Only idiots take this seriously. So, what if we kill someone here? There's no proof, dying here means you're dead IRL

**_(In Real Life)_ ** **. Anyway, it's time you started worrying about yourselves.**

_Rosalia snaps her fingers, and the rest of her guild come out of hiding. Seven red players surround Rosalia, all armed to the teeth._

Silica: Kirito, there's too many of them. We should get out of here.

Kirito: No, it's okay. You'll be safe if you stay here. Until I tell you to run, just keep the crystal handy.

Silica: 'Kay... but... Kirito!

_With a final pat to Silica's head, Kirito marches out to meet the band of thieves. He unsheathes his blade, and waits._

1

**st** **Thug: Kirito?**

2

**nd** **Thug: Dressed in black... One-handed... No-shield... Holy crap! It's the Black Swordsman! Rosalia, that guy...! He's the beater who plays solo on the front lines! He's with the Assault Team!**

Silica: No way, he is?

_Kirito just stands there and smirks as the cowards work themselves into a frenzy._

Kibaou glances back and forth between the Kirito on screen, and the one with them in the room. Both are sharing pretty much the same cocky expression. "What're you up to? Waiting for them to get so worked up that they give themselves up?"

Kirito smiles wickedly. "Something like that?"

Rosalia: Why would someone from the Assault Team be all the way down here? Go on! Take him out! And take everything he owns!

3

**rd** **Thug: Die!  
** _Silica trembles in fear as the band of thieves descend on Kirito. He doesn't even try to defend himself._

"KIRITO!" His friends scream. Everyone is out of their seats, screaming at the projection. Kirito just watches amused. It's like they've forgotten that he's still here. Alive and well. Although it feels pretty good to have so many people worried about him.

Asuna covers her mouth in horror as slash after slash strike the avatar. Kirito hugs her from behind, and gently clutches both her hands with his. He whispers in her ear. "It's okay. I'm safe. I'm still here." Over and over again, until she collapses against him. Tears spring in her eyes when she comes back to herself. Here she had been so awful to him, but when his life in in danger he still finds time to comfort her.

She was so ashamed.

**Silica: I've got to save him! He won't last!**

_Silica grips her dagger, trying to motivate herself to jump into the frey. Except she's so afraid. If she doesn't do something, Kirito could die! She glances at his health bar, to see how much time he has left when she notices something strange._

**Silica: What's going on?**

That's when the rest of the observers finally get it. Despite the numous attacks, Kirito's health bar hasn't dropped into the red zone. Heck it hasn't even dropped into yellow!

 

_Silica watches in amazement as Kirito's health bar barely moves after each attack, and then the bar moves back up every couple of seconds. His health is regenerating! As the girl watches, Kirito's health moves back up to 100%. The band of thieves have exhausted their attacks. They all stand around the still smirking swordsman, panting, and a little bit afraid._

**Rosalia: What the hell, you idiots?! Kill him already!**

Kirito: Four hundred in ten seconds, give or take. That's about the total damage the seven of you can inflict on me. I'm level 78. I've got 14,500 HP. My battle-healing skill auto regenerates six hundred points every ten seconds. We could stand here all day, and you wouldn't get anywhere.

Klein whistles appreciately, and lets himself fall back into his seat. He laughs before looking back at his friend. "You sure like to overdue things. Isn't it harassment to rub into their faces like that?"

"Not when it's a bunch of murdering thieves, then it's called justice." Kirito claimed, while still comforting Asuna. The girl finally moved out of the teen's arms, but not before shooting him a grateful smile. Which Kirito happily returned. It Asuna had finally let go of her jealousy. For the moment.

The rest of Kirito's friends also resumed their seats, as it was obvious the swordsman in no real danger. And never really had been. Leafa did punch him in the arm for scaring him like that. Kirito bore it with good grace.

4

**th** **Thug: That's not possible!**

Kirito: Wanna bet? If your numbers are high enough, you're invincible. MMOs that use leveling systems are unfair that way.

_Kirito dug out another crystal from his inventory. He held it up high to show it off to all of the thieves guild. It was his tool, and promise of retribution all in one._

**My client spent his entire fortune on this warp crystal, and he'll get his money's worth. It's been set to the coordinates of the prison. And I'm sending all of you bastards there!**

Rosalia: Well, I'm green, and if you hurt me, you'll go orange and...!

_Kirito at last took action. Before the rest of the players could even blink, Kirito had sprinted across the bridge. Only stopping a hair breath's away from slice Rosalia in two. He met Rosalia's terrified gaze with a cold glare._

Kirito: I'm a solo player, got it? One or two days of playing while orange means nothing to me.

_Rosalia quickly dropped her weapon. Titan's hand was defeated._

* * *

_With the defeat of the thieves, Kirito invited Silica over to discuss things in his room at the inn. Silica did deserve to hear the truth, and get an apology. So they sit side by side, while Kirito explains himself._

**Kirito: I'm really sorry, Silica. This whole time, I was using you as bait to catch them. I thought you'd be scared if I told you the truth about me.**

Sinon shook her head. "It was for a good cause, but your methods were kind of low."

Kirito ducked his head. "I know. I knew I was putting her in danger, but I tried to make up for it by making sure I was there to protect her."

"Oh don't be so hard on yourself." Leafa patted her brother reassuringly on the arm. "It all worked up." She grinned a little brighter. "Plus I'm pretty sure she forgave ya. Or did you find a look alike to join our guild?" Most of the room let out a few chuckles at that comment.

Silica: I can never be scared of you... 'cause you're a good person. Um, but do you really have to go?

Kirito: Yeah...I've been away from the front lines for five days. I need to get back.

Silica: I-I think it's amazing that you're on the Assault Team. I could try for a hundred years and never make it. Um, I...

Kayaba snorted quietly in agreement, which drew the ire of her friends.

"You shouldn't judge." Klein drawled out. "After all Alfheim Online was based off your work, and she keeps up just fine with us there. In fact she often works as a scout for our party."

Kayaba's eyes widen at that. Did that small girl truly grow strong enough to keep up with three of the strongest players from the Assault Team? Really? And if it was true, does that mean if they stuck to his original plan of drawing the players to the 100th floor?

Except that time had passed. He would never know the answer to that now.

"It's true. I wouldn't underestimate our beast tamer." Asuna said with a smile.

Leafa crossed her arms and grinned. "She's a midget, but mighty!"

"A pint-sized bad ass." Sinon said with a smirk.

Almost as if choreagraphed, Silica's guildmates turned towards Kayaba. Silently daring him to say anything nasty about their friend. Kayaba glanced away, trying to make it seem like did that on his own. However, he would be sure to keep quiet for the rest of the episode.

Kirito: You know, levels are just numbers. And a person's strength in this world is just an illusion. Sure it's cool and all, but there are more important things than that. We should meet up in the real world. That would be cool 'cause I like having you as a friend.

Silica: Okay, we will. I promise.

_Kirito smiles gently, and Silica basks in the moment. Then with a stretch and groan, the swordsmen stands up. He grins at his new beast tamer friend._

Kirito: Well, ready to revive Pina?

Silica: Yeah!

_As Silica pulls out the flower that will revive her friend. She starts to reminisce about the adventures she's had since they last met._

**Silica: 'Pina, when you get back, I'll have lots of stuff to tell you about. About the amazing adventure I had. And about this one day when I got to have my very own big brother** **.'**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! It's done! Had a real hard time putting this one together. I've also been swamped with plotbunnies for other fanfics. I'm think of changing the community I started into a Watching the series/movie across multiple genres. I have this great idea for an Avengers watching the movies. Plus I've been dying to create one for that movie with the squishy purple aliens, you know Home? But I figured I owed my readers a few updates on my other fics first. Next time will be the Murder Arc! I cannot tell you how long I've been wanting to write these next two episode up! I also have a few ideas for Lizbeth's episode too! Happy New Year everybody!


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